Way Back Home
by closetromantic07
Summary: 8 years post-series. Aya comes back to Japan after leaving everything behind, including Rei. She finds that nothing is like it was before especially now that Rei has a new girlfriend. Even the gang is a little broken. Aya realizes that she might have made a big mistake. Can things really go back to the way they used to be? AyaxRei mainly other pairings too.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi! This is my first fanfic on anything! Been missing this anime a lot so I decided to write something. Hope you guys enjoy!**

Present Day

_Flashback_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Super Gals! If I did, Aya and Rei would have had more moments together...**

**Chapter 1: Goodbyes**

The bustling sounds of bags being dragged, feet hurrying to the gates, flights being paged on the speakers, last-minute goodbyes and reminders filled the busy airport. People are on their phones, slipping in one last phone call before they have to leave. Some wait until the last minute to board the plane, hoping to spend a few more seconds where they were. Perhaps airports are some of the saddest places on earth because in these places people leave, and people get left behind.

However, sometimes they come home.

A woman with raven hair just a few inches past her shoulders, wearing a trench coat and shades, pushing a cart with a couple of luggage stepped out of the arrival area. Scanning the area as she stepped out of the airport she took a deep breath and gave herself a little smile. She thought, '_I'm home.'_ Hoshino Aya continued to push her cart and hailed herself a cab to take her to her apartment.

It had been four years already, she could barely believe it. She opened the door to her apartment which she hasn't set foot in for that exact number of years and found everything exactly as she left it. The living room was the first thing you could see when you enter the door. The table in the center, the couches surrounding the table, and the television against the wall the couches were facing were all covered with cloth. Four year's worth of dust have accumulated and her nose could now tell. Aya wished she took her father's offer to have it cleaned before she came home.

She made her way to the empty dining area to the right of the living room. The round, glass table and the four chairs around it were covered by plastic this time. To the right of the living room was the kitchen, it was just as empty. She took simply took a glance before making her way to her room whose door was right beside the television on the living room.

Aya entered her room and all sorts of memories came flooding in. She saw her bookcase to the right of the door which reminded her that even before going to medical school, she was already such a nerd. She brushed her hand slightly at the light pink wallpapers she could swear is now fading. She sat on her mattress covered in plastic and remembered the numerous times she wanted to sleep on her bed while she was pulling off all-nighters. Her bedside table was just as dusty as the rest of her furniture, but unlike the rest she was pretty sure this was not empty.

She pulled out one of the drawers on her bedside table and took out a dusty picture frame. Aya wiped the dust off with her fingers, she hardly minded the dirt. The picture, she recalled was when she was in high school, probably the best time of her life. In that picture two other girls were with her: a corn-haired girl with a smile on her face that went from ear-to-ear, and a blond-haired girl with a pink highlight who was giving a wink to the camera.

_It was a beautiful, sad night. All three of them were in Ran's room catching up after a couple of weeks of not being complete. Kotobuki Ran was telling them stories about the police academy and how she thinks she'll finally be able to graduate that year. Both her friends weren't too hopeful but gave the super Gal the support she needed._

_Yamazaki Miyu, now Kotobuki Miyu, has been busy with her internship as a pre-school teacher. After her internship she can finally graduate and officially teach little children. Married life has also been treating her well, she was always blooming. Obviously the romance has not died after four years of marriage._

"_So, Aya, Miyu and I have been rambling about ourselves all night!" Ran exclaimed. "What's going on with you these days?"_

_Miyu nodded. "Yeah, Aya. I haven't seen you in two weeks. Is everything alright? You seem to be troubled."_

_Aya hesitated. She looked at her friends with her gentle eyes and gave a weak smile. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you guys."_

_Ran and Miyu sat a little closer to their friend, worry written all over their faces. This only made it harder for Aya to tell them her news._

"_I've gotten accepted into medical school." She finally said._

"_Holy shit, Aya! That's great news! You've worked so hard for that! THAT'S SO AWESOME!" Ran, being her usual , energetic self, gave her dark-haired friend a tight hug._

_Miyu, on the other hand seemed to notice that their friend was not as excited. "What's wrong, Aya? That's exciting news, but you don't seem happy."_

_Ran let go of her friend to see if Miyu was right. She obviously was. Aya gave her friends another weak smile. "I am! It's just… It's in America."_

_Ran and Miyu both gave a "What?!"_

"_I got into a prestigious medical school in the US, practically full scholarship," she started, keeping her eyes away from her friends. "My professors gave me stellar recommendations. I never thought I'd get in, really. I just gave the application a chance. But now… now it's here. I got in, and it's a huge opportunity."_

_There was a pause that seemed to last longer than it was. Ran broke the silence first. "So I'm guessing you already made a decision."_

_She nodded, not looking at her friends. "I've talked to my father, he's arranged things for me already." She finally got the courage to look at her friends and unexpectedly saw both of them smiling._

"_It's your decision and if you're sure about it then I'll be glad to support you a hundred percent!" Ran gave her endearing smile. Miyu gave a smile that signified the same things._

_A tear ran down her cheek. "Thanks, guys!" She did have the most awesome set of friends anyone could ask for. They hugged it out._

_Once the hug broke, Miyu asked, "have you told Otohata yet?"_

Aya snapped back to reality. _Otohata Rei._ Her first love, her only love still. There was a pain in her heart she could not pinpoint. The person she regretted most leaving was him. Aya pulled out another picture frame from her bedside table. It was a picture of her, smiling, even her blush was captured in the photo, with a certain brown-haired man.

_It was raining that day. Rei and Aya were in a café, one they usually ate at together. They would usually go there to study together, have a little chitchat, eat some good food, and study some more. That was usually how their dates went, not always, but usually. It was simple. It was them._

_Aya had grown since high school. She was more decisive, a little-more outspoken, and less insecure. She was more confident in herself and her relationship with the most popular guy in Shibuya. After all, they been through a lot in high school and have dated mostly through college. Yet, somehow she remained to be sweet, thoughtful, and selfless._

_And maybe that how slowly but surely Rei developed her feelings for the dark-haired beauty. Her change amazed him, although he did not say it out loud. The ice prince was definitely not affectionate, but every now and then he would do little things that made Aya feel special. From time to time as they walked down the streets of Shibuya he would take her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers. He would tell his friends or classmates who try to hit on his girlfriend to back the hell off. Rei would give her an occasional hug when she was stressed or was down. All of these actions made Aya blush, but she blushed the most when he gave Aya her first kiss._

_Back in the café, Rei was reviewing for his upcoming finals. He was going to become a civil engineer. Nobody expected that from him, but with Rei it was hard to predict what he was gonna do._

_Aya was just pretending to read her book as she gathered the courage to tell him her news. She stopped reading and looked at the boy across the table, elbow on the table as he cheek rested on his hand whilst the free hand was turning the pages of the book. She stared at the man she loved for a while wondering if she can even do it._

"_What is it?" he asked, his gaze still on his book._

_Aya was caught off guard and she couldn't say a word. Finally, he looked at her._

"_Is there something you wanted to say?" For all the years they've been together, Rei probably already knew that._

"_I…" she mumbled. It was now or never. "I got into medical school."_

_He said nothing._

"_I got into medical school… in the States." It's finally out there. How would he react, she wondered. Was he mad? Was he sad? Finally she looked at his eyes, those beautiful, mysterious eyes._

"_I know." Was all he said._

_She was stunned. "H-how?"_

"_I saw the letter scattered on your table in your apartment," he explained. "You can be a scatterbrain sometimes."_

"_So…" she started. "What do you think? What do you think I should do?"_

_He shrugged. "It's your decision."_

_She felt disappointment in her heart. She expected angry, shocked, or sad, but not this. He's still the ice prince he was in high school. "I… Do you want me to go?"_

"_It's your decision to make, Aya." Yes it was, that's always what he said. Always her decision. "I think… I think it's great that you got into that school. It's really a good opportunity."_

_She felt like she was about to cry, maybe she already was, she wasn't too aware. A huge part of her wanted him to stop her, to tell her not to go, that she was going to have the same education here and at least he'd be with her._

_It was a long silence that Rei finally broke. "Look, Aya," she looked at him with tear-filled eyes, "for what it's worth, whatever your decision will be, I'd support you."_

"_So…" she could swear her voice croaked at this point. "What… what will happen to us?"_

_Rei, chin on his fist, looked out the window, into the pouring rain. "… I don't know," he whispered to the air._

Aya remembered how that night she truly felt like the world was crying for her. Til this day she wondered what could be if Rei told her what he wanted, if he fought for her to stay. But Rei was not that kind of guy, she thought. Maybe for him it was not worth the fight.

A ring from her phone took her away from all her thoughts. She looked at her phone. "Oh no. I'm late."

**End of Chapter**

**AN: Hope you guys liked it! It's just a simple flashback chapter so it might be a little boring, more to come! R&amp;R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the very, very, very late update. All I can say is that I've been busy as hell. I'm so sorry. Will be updating much more often now! But thank you to those who reviewed, followed and favorited. Much love goes out to you guys!**

**Chapter 2: Walking Aways**

Rei was lying on his bed, his arm on his forehead as he stared at the light on his ceiling. He just finished reviewing the blue prints for his next project, it was actually his first project as a junior partner at his firm. But that was not what made him so tired. If he was being honest with himself, he was exhausted because he has been over thinking everything about every single thing. He blamed Yuuya for this. _Stupid phone call, _he thought.

_He just finished taking a shower after taking a morning run when he checked his phone and found five missed calls from his buddy, Asuo Yuuya. Thinking that it must be urgent for his to call multiple times in the last 20 minutes, he decided to give him a call back._

"_Oi. Why did you call?" he greeted when Yuuya picked up from the other end._

"_Rei! Shit! Have you heard?" Yuuya practically shouted._

_Annoyed, Rei replied, "Shh you're too loud, man. Calm down, will you?"_

"_Rei! You're not going to believe this!"_

"_What the hell are you talking about?"_

"_She's back! BACK!" Yuuya emphasized. "Ran gave Miyu a call, who gave Mami a call, who called me!"_

_His friend is clearly losing his mind. Maybe engagements do that to people, he wondered. "Who the hell are you talking about?"_

"_YOU KNOW WHO."_

He gave out a heavy sigh on his bed. She's back, he allowed himself to say it in his head. He hasn't thought about her in a while. It has been four years after all, and things have changed, a lot of things. He decided to remove all of those thoughts from his head and remembered he had something to attend to. Finally he got out of bed, grabbed a jacket and the keys to his car.

"Okay, we're done for the day. The tour of the hospital is now finished. Tomorrow your work will actually begin. So get a good night's rest, you'll be needing it." A lanky, curly-haired resident with square-rimmed glassed turned his back on the set of fresh interns and residents, among them was Aya.

She let out a yawn and placed the small notebook she was using and the pen into her lab coat's pocket. Straight from the airport to her apartment and now to the hospital, her day was just too long. Earlier she called up her father to ask if he could get someone to clean, or at least make it habitable for the night, for her. She stretched her arm and decided she could use something to eat.

Aya absently made her way down to the cafeteria floor and ended up bumping into someone walking in the opposite direction. She fell on her butt. "Ouch."

"Sorry about that," said the man who bumped her, as he gestured a hand to pull her up.

She reached for the man's hand and grabbed it before looking at him. "It's okay, it's my fault for…" as she looked up, she saw the man whom she bumped. A ruggedly handsome, brown-haired man who looked as shocked as she was, "… not looking."

She landed on her feet, eyes still on the man standing in front of her whose hand she was still holding. "Rei…"

Rei let go of her hand. For a moment she left her hand hanging in the air before tucking it to her side. Rei was faster in gaining back his composure, as he always was. She looked at him in those blue-eyes of his that always made her weak at the knees. "Aya," he acknowledged.

"W-what are you doing here?" was the best thing she could come up with.

"I'm visiting my mom," he said coolly. She had a worried look on her eyes that made him continue, "she had a simple operation lately but she hasn't been discharged."

"Oh." An awkward silence.

"So you really are back."

She couldn't read the emotions behind his eyes.

"Yeah. I'm back." He didn't seem to have a reaction. "I-I'm gonna be a resident in this hospital," she said.

He looked at her piercingly. "Hn. Anyway, sorry about that bump earlier." He placed his hands back in his pockets and began walking in the direction opposite to Aya.

Aya watched him walk away and finally she gathered the guts to ask, "are you coming later? To the group gathering?"

He shrugged. "If I feel like it."

She inwardly hit herself in the head for even asking. Why should she care? They haven't been together for four years now. The last time they had any contact with each other was two years ago. And last she heard… he now has a girlfriend. She hated to admit it but it's killing her to know if it's true.

But one thing sure hasn't changed. Rei is still able to make her heart race on the one hand. On the other he still manages to disappoint her every time. Was that all the reaction she was going to get from him? And what was with all the attitude and the cold shoulder? It wasn't even close to how she imagined their first meeting again would be. She didn't expect something grand or for time to stop like what happens at movies, but she didn't expect _that._ But she has learned a long time ago to stop expecting.

_It was the night before her flight to the United States. Her stuff has been packed for days now, double checked the night before and triple checked a while ago. Now she was at the park bench with her boyfriend, if he still technically was, she wasn't really sure. _

_It has been quite some silence. For the past few years that they've been dating she got used to the silence, even found it comforting. But now it felt like how it was at the start, awkward and tense. She called him to meet up, for what, she wasn't sure. Closure? Official break-up? To ask him to wait? She had no clue._

_He broke the silence first. "So you're all packed and ready."_

"_Yeah." She waited a while. "About us…"_

"_I think," he cut her off. "We should break-up."_

_Her heart sank. Tears were already forming in her eyes._

"_I just don't think we can pull off a long distance relationship. It's just too messy." It was another stab at her out of nowhere, he reached for her hand and held it tight. "Please… don't cry."_

_She looked at him as his eyes stared at the starless night sky. "I… I love you, Rei," she cried. "I don't want to leave, please tell me not to leave."_

_Finally he looked at her eyes, tears streamed down her lovely face. With his free hard, he wiped the tears away. "I… I'm not going to tell you that. Aya, you made a decision that is hard to commit to, and that's why you're looking at me as your scapegoat so you won't have to decide."_

"_That's not true." She begged him, "I love you, that's why. That's why I need to hear it from you…"_

_She felt a hand at the back of her head as she was pulled toward his chest. "I'm so proud of you for going out of your comfort zone. But I will not ask you to stay because I know that you know deep inside that you also want this opportunity."_

_She cried as she held a tight grip on her jacket. "And we have to break up because it's the right thing to do." He rested his chin on top of her head, "we have reached a crossroad and we have to let go of each other. It'll only be harder for you because I can't make you any promises. I can't promise I'll be good, or that I'll wait. But when you get there you need to be free to do whatever you want."_

"_I want you."_

"_We have to let go… for now." She raised her head and looked at his eyes and found herself a glimmer of hope._

For now…

"_I love you," she said to him one last time. He gave her one last kiss. A goodbye kiss._

"I love you…" she mumbled as his silhouette disappeared from view. Remembering how they parted four years ago and remembering the last words she told him, she also remembered how those are three words she never heard him say.

"You're an idiot, Aya," she said to herself, as she walked, "why is it so hard for you to let him go?"

She wondered how a smart girl like her with a medical degree at that can't even conjure up a decent answer to that question. It's not like she likes letting herself get hurt. If there was a way to let him go, wouldn't she have done so by now?

**Thank you for reading! Leave a review for comments, reactions, constructive criticisms.**

**PS. MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	3. Chapter 3

**HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone!**

**Thanks to those who reviewed, those who read, and those who enjoyed the previous chapter. Please read, review and enjoy this one as well!**

**Chapter 3: Reality Check**

"OH MY GOD! AYA, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU!" A certain super gal exclaimed as she gave her friend an extremely tight hug. Ran was definitely crying, "how could you have left us for so long?"

Aya returned the hug. "Oh, Ran! You're still as energetic as you were before! I have missed you so much!"

"Hey I'm getting jealous here!" Miyu came in the door of the restaurant they were at. "AYA!"

"Miyu!" All the three super gals were now in a group hug, some tears were present, a lot of "I miss yous", and definitely some laughter. This was just what Aya needed.

Yamato, who followed Miyu into the restaurant, went straight over to Yuuya who was at the bar counter knowing that he won't be able to give Aya his greeting with those two girls over there. The restaurant was empty. Yuuya blocked it out for the gang. It was his restaurant anyway, well one of several. In the last four years Yuuya had graduated with a degree majoring in business, and have become a restaurateur. This was, of course, with the help of Honda Mami as the prime investor in his ventures.

Yuuya had been in a steady relationship with Mami since high school. They would have the constant squabble on who really wore the pants in the relationship, but despite that it was their growing love for each other that helped them endure. Five months ago, Yuuya finally proposed to her to which the Ikebokuro gal said yes with all her heart. They, mainly Mami, have been planning their wedding ever since.

"So how's my godson doing? I haven't seen him in a while!" Yuuya asked Yamato.

Yamato beamed, he loved talking about his 3-year old son, Yuri. "He's doing great! He's been drawing a lot lately, Miyu's been teaching him how to write. I'll show you pictures!"

Yamato pulled out his phone to show the pictures. Yamato has been promoted over the last couple of years. He's now the head detective at the burglary division at the police station. Miyu, on the other hand, now co-owns a pre-school with some other teachers. Miyu had been saving up to make that investment, it's was just a small start-up but it is now growing.

Yuuya approached the girls who were catching up. "Ran-chan, there's something I need to tell you."

Ran gave Yuuya a curious look. "What is it, Nii?"

"Um," he rubbed the back of his head as the three girls waited. "Since this is a group gathering, you know, since it's Aya big return, I… I invited Tatsuki."

Ran was caught off guard. "Oh." The other three looked at Ran who tried to look unaffected. "Is he coming?"

"He said he would."

Ran nodded. Aya became a little worried. She remembered that phone call she received from Miyu almost two years ago.

"_Aya," she could hear Miyu crying from the other end. "It's Ran! She… she didn't go through with the wedding."_

"_What?!" Aya screamed. She couldn't make it to her best friend's wedding because it was right before her finals. And the plane fare would have been too expensive just to spend a couple of nights in Japan. How she wished she could have gone home and also to see Rei. "Why not?"_

"_I… I don't know," Miyu stuttered. "We couldn't find her! The ceremony was about to begin and we knocked at her door multiple times but no answer. When we got someone to unlock it she wasn't there."_

"_What the hell is Ran thinking! It's her wedding day!"_

"_Tatsukichi, he's so devastated, he just collapsed and was rushed to the hospital." Miyu panicked, "Everything's such a mess. Yuuya, Mami and Yamato are looking for Ran but we can get a hold of her. Rei's in the hospital, he agreed to update us on Tatsukichi."_

Since then, Ran and Tatsuki have not talked. When one would go to a group outing or gathering the other would not show up. If they were ever in the same room, Tatsuki never acknowledged Ran. Ran has tried to explain her side, but people guessed Tatsuki just couldn't get himself to forgive her.

Tatsuki has been managing their family business and even expanded it. He kept himself busy with work, which was always his excuse when he didn't want to hang out with the group, or at least with Ran. Ran continued on to being a cop, one of the finest women cops in Japan (even though it took her a while to graduate because she couldn't pass the written exams).

The door opened, Ran and Aya looked immediately, half-nervous and maybe half-excited, both expecting different people at the door. However, it was Mami. Upon her entrance she noticed the elephant in the room.

"What is up with everyone, it's like you've seen a ghost!" She said. "Aya!"

Mami came over to Aya and gave her a hug. Aya, who snapped back to reality, returned the hug. "Mami! It's been too long!"

Dinner moved on as the people present did a lot of catching up. Aya explained the she was now working at the hospital in Tokyo as a resident, having done an internship in the States already, and that she wanted to focus on pediatrics.

"I still have a long way to go, though," Aya said humbly.

"Nonsense!" said Ran. "You've gone so far, Aya! We all have! I'm so proud of you."

"Anyway, how was the States? What was it like living there?" Yamato asked.

_Lonely. _"It was okay. It was hard to adjust at first but I managed. A lot of different people were in the program. It was also a little hard to adjust to the language at first," she explained, garnering so 'ohs'. "But it was fun. It was a… new experience." She was quick to add, not making them worry.

Suddenly the bell at the door rang and a familiar blond-haired man was at the door. "Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late! But look who I bumped into on the way here!"

Otohata Rei entered, followed by a woman around their age with light brown hair that fell just above her shoulders. She was a pretty girl, Aya thought as her heart sank. She knew who that girl was without being introduced.

"Aya-ppe!" Tatsuki ran on over to where Aya was seated and gave her his very warm welcome. Ran, who was beside Aya, froze in her seat.

Rei walked in, followed by the girl. "Hey," he greeted everyone. The girl behind him smiled.

Aya was caught staring by Miyu who gave her a little nudge to bring her back to reality.

"Ah right," Rei said. "Kotobuki, Aya, this is Kaoru…" he gestured, introducing the three people. Apparently everyone else had met her. "…my girlfriend." Everyone else in the room was silent, they weren't helping her at all, Aya thought.

And there it was. A blow to her heart. "Hi, I'm Hoshino Aya," putting on her best smile as she stood up to greet her.

"Hello. Nice to meet you," she greeted back with a warm smile.

Throughout the rest of dinner it was established that Kaoru was an architect in the same firm as Rei and they've been dating for five months, that Yuuya and Mami's wedding was going to be in a month's time, that Tatsuki is kind-of dating someone.

"So, Aya," queried Yuuya "any boyfriends we don't know of?"

Aya gave off a shy shrug. "No, I didn't have any time for that in the States."

Several "ohs" came from the men, while there were some "aws" from the ladies. She thought she might have even seen a glimmer of care in Rei's eyes but she never looked at him long enough the whole night.

"Seriously, Aya-ppe? A pretty girl like you in a foreign country and no guys have ever asked you out?" asked an incredulous Tatsuki.

"Well," she thought for a second. "I guess I've been asked out."

"You guess?" asked Ran.

"I never gave it the time of day. Studying was hard enough, I really didn't have a social life I swear," she smiled shyly. "Plus it was hard to hit on a girl with a language barrier, right? I'm not even sure Americans like the Asian type, really…"

The conversation went on smoothly considering the little awkward silences here and there and the occasional taboo topics. At the end of the dinner everyone went their separate ways. Kaoru left earlier in the night, having to attend to some professional matters. Yamato and Miyu were the next to leave, wanting to tuck their little boy before he goes to sleep, the rest followed suit not long after.

_"So, Aya," queried Yuuya "any boyfriends we don't know of?"_

_Aya gave off a shy shrug. "No, I didn't have time for that in the States… I never gave it the time of day. Studying was hard enough, I really didn't have a social life I swear."_

Rei couldn't get her out of his mind. And if that wasn't enough Yuuya called to scold him for bringing Kaoru to Aya's welcome back, calling him insensitive.

"She never had a boyfriend there? What the hell is that?" he mumbled as he stared at the light on his ceiling again.

He then recalled his conversation with Miyu as they were cleaning up the restaurant since Yuuya sent his workers home for the day.

_Rei was seeing his girlfriend off because she had to go home early. She was about to get into the cab when she asked him, "is it weird? Seeing her again?"_

_"What?" he asked monotonously._

_"Are we… okay?"_

_"Why wouldn't we be?" his reply didn't really assure her, he could tell._

_"Does this change anything?"Rei gave her that look that made her feel like her question was ridiculous. "__Right… Okay, I'll go ahead then."_

_Miyu was drying the plates up when Rei came up to her after seeing his girlfriend off and he decided to help her with it. It was a silent chore before Rei finally asked, "So she never really had a boyfriend in the States?"_

_"Huh?" Miyu was surprised at his question. "Well no. We kept in touch a lot so she'd tell me if she had one."_

_"Hn."_

_"Why do you ask?"_

_Rei did not answer the question, and instead, after drying the plate, walked over to Yuuya._

He lied down on his side and thought about that day more than two years ago. He could have sworn she had a guy, a boyfriend or a fling or whatever he was. "Was she lying? But…" he mumbled to himself, "Aya doesn't lie."

He let himself fall asleep with those thoughts in his head.

Aya, on the other hand, didn't go straight home like the others did. She found herself wondering the streets of Shibuya in all its glory. She noticed how many things had changed, but how in a way it hasn't really. Somehow Aya found herself knocking in Ran's apartment in the middle of the night.

Ran opened the door in her pajamas, surprised to see her friend who's expression could not be read. She let her in and she gave her some water. "Come on, Aya, tell me what's wrong."

"Did it hurt?" she asked, Ran scratched her head. "When Tatsukichi mentioned a while ago that he was dating someone else, did it hurt?"

Ran was caught off guard again. "Aya…"

Aya went over to her friend and hugged her, surprising Ran. "I thought I could pretend that it wasn't all true." She was crying now. "But seeing him with her today, it became so real to me . And it hurts. It hurts so badly."

She sobbed. Ran hugged her friend back, soothing her. "Aya…"

"I have known even before I came back here, but it still hurts anyway. It hurt when I found out and it hurts now," her voice cracked at some parts.

"It does hurt. I am hurting too…" Ran said in sympathy as she let a tear trickle down her face.

**End**

**Hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, everyone! Sorry, I've uploaded later than I intended. Right now, I'm kind of conflicted on how I want to proceed with the story and each character's story line. Although I do have some ideas of my own, I feel that it's incomplete so if you guys have any suggestions or ideas you would want to throw at me, please do so. Gladly appreciate it.**

**Anyway, for now, please enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 4: Looking Back**

Aya had a tiring shift at the hospital today, some of the fellows were really trying to make it hell for the new doctors. But she was glad she survived her 12-hour shift. The work kept her mind off of Rei, which she was thankful for. After her conversation with Ran the night before she decided to keep her distance from Rei so she could move on like he has. Out of sight, out of mind right?

Unwittingly however, she decided to unwind in a café that was not too unfamiliar for her. It was, after all, the café that she and Rei used to go to. Aya had no idea why she went there, maybe just force of habit. She's been walking absently a lot lately.

She went in and saw that the café was quite full, to her disappointment. Looks like business was doing well for this café. She tried looking around but to no avail, and on her way out she saw the last person she wanted to see. Unfortunately for her she also caught the eye of the brown-haired former model. Unsure how to react, she just continued walking but she stopped at her tracks when he called out for her.

"Aya," he said. "If you can't find any seat, we can share this booth."

Thinking it would be rude to decline, she sat down and gave her order to the waitress. He remained quiet, engrossed in a book he was reading. From where she was, she couldn't make out the title.

"So what brings you here?" she finally asked as she took a sip of her tea, but it seemed like he wasn't going to answer so she went on. "I just finished a killer shift so I thought I'd stop by and grab a bite before going home."

He finally took his eyes off his book. "I usually go here, after work. Since I don't cook food in my apartment, I just eat here."

"Right," she took another sip of her drink. "So… I heard you became a junior partner."

"Hn."

"Congrats."

In her head she wondered why God would put her in that spot, right after she decided she had to avoid him. Now she's here, sitting at café they used to spend time together in, with him across the table, eyes locked at each other with nothing to say. And why the hell was he being so cold, almost like when she first confessed to him. There was so many things she wanted to ask him. Maybe now is the chance. Maybe God didn't want her to avoid him. _God, why are you being cruel? _He finally took his eyes away from hers.

"Are you…" She played with her hands under the table. No, she couldn't bring herself to ask it. Maybe she didn't want to know the answer. _Leave it alone. Just leave now. _She told herself.

"Um, I'll just go ahead now. It's getting late. I still have to get up early tomorrow," she said instead. She took out her wallet and got some cash out.

"Are you driving home?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Umm no. I'll just commute."

"It'll be hard for you to get a cab here."

"I can walk it."

"It's too late at night. I'll…" he took out his wallet and left some cash on the table as well, "take you home."

She remembered how he was like before when they were still dating. At this point she won't be able to convince him otherwise so she got up along with him and walked to his car.

"Are you living in the same apartment?" he asked.

She nodded. The drive was silent to say the least. It was the kind of silence that could deafen you. The entire time she was playing with her hands. He was so confusing to her. He gave her a cold shoulder when they met for the first time in four years, he introduces his girlfriend at her 'welcome back' dinner, now he offers to bring her home? As if she wasn't emotionally stressed already.

Aya let out a deep breath to calm herself down. She stared out the window and noticed that the area hasn't changed much since she left, just some new stores and new signs, but it was all so… familiar. She looked to her left, at the guy who used to hold her hand on the car rides home. Now that hand was on the hand brake.

So much emotions are building up inside her that she couldn't help it anymore, she had to ask. "Are you mad at me?"

Rei gave her a quick surprised look before turning his eyes back on the road. He gave no reply for a moment. "I… Why would I be?"

"I don't know…" she stared ahead on the road. "You just seem like you are."

"I'm not mad," he quickly replied.

"Then why…" at this point she was trying to hold the tears back. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

He finally arrived at her apartment.

"Aya… I told you before, I couldn't promise you that. Four years… it was just too long." He couldn't look at her eyes. She was thankful for that because it was filling up.

"Why did you stop the communication?" she said without croaking. "For two years, we manage to keep in touch somehow, emails and stuff… Then you disappeared. Out of thin air. Why? What happened?"

"Aya, let's not talk about this anymore."

She looked at him who still wasn't looking at her. "You were my… my tailwind. Up until that point, you were the one who kept me going forward. And then suddenly my wind disappeared and I… felt like I couldn't breathe anymore."

He said nothing. She got out of the car as the tears kept flowing.

"One more bottle, please." And with that the bartender pooped the brown-haired engineer with his fourth bottle of beer.

He was just about to gulp it down when he felt an arm around his shoulder and saw that it was his corn-haired friend. "Hey, buddy. Heard you were drowning some sort of sorrow here tonight. Is everything alright?"

"Your staff are such blabbermouths," he said taking a sip. Yuuya sat beside him by the bar. "Next time don't introduce me to your staff so they don't know who I am."

"Your girlfriend's been calling me, asking me where you are. Since when did I become your baby sitter?" Yuuya gestured his bartender to give him a bottle as well. "What are we drinking for tonight, Rei?"

He got no reply. But he knew his friend well, he just needed to wait until he was ready to speak up.

It wasn't until 30 minutes later, another bottle for Yuuya and Rei and finally a team scored on the soccer match on the television screen that Rei said something. "I made her cry again today. She's only been back a day and already I've made her cry."

Yuuya knew his best man well, he also knew that he should just let him keep talking until he asks him something rhetorical.

"Do you think God is punishing me? I mean, I finally agree to start dating Kaoru after you fools convinced me too, and now Aya is back? And then all along I might have been wrong about that time."

"You mean about her not having a boyfriend?" Yuuya knew this was his cue to speak. "No one's punishing you Rei. It's just… wrong timing. You had genuine feelings for Aya, she was the only one you ever let in."

"Tch."

"Now that she's back, what are you planning to do?"

He took another gulp of his beer. "Nothing."

"As your best friend, let me point out the obvious: you loved her and for all I know you still do. Otherwise you wouldn't be doing _this._"

"I have a girlfriend."

"Well then act like it. Call her up so she can stop worrying. Don't go drinking at a bar analyzing your situation with your ex," Yuuya scolded.

"Who's side are you on anyway?"

"Yours, dummy. That's why I'm telling you choose one. If you still love Aya, patch things up with her but break it off cleanly with Kaoru. If not, then stop what you're doing and treat your girlfriend right."

Rei knew that his best friend was right. He'd never say it out loud, but sometimes Yuuya does give sound advice. He had to at least be fair to both of them.

"Anyway, enough of your problems and on to some of my own." Rei looked at Yuuya with a raised eyebrow. "I've been thinking… Maybe I'm getting into this whole marriage thing way too –"

"Don't even say it." Rei gave him a stern look. "Don't say it and don't think it. Don't you dare pull a Ran Kotobuki here, idiot."

Yuuya, who, for a split second, seemed pensive, gave off a laugh. "Pulled one on you, didn't I? Just kidding, man!"

Rei did not believe him. But he also knew his best friend just as well, he'll come to his senses.

"Now here's a real problem. It's my birthday weekend next week, and I really want the whole gang to be there. You think I can pull it off?" Yuuya asked. Rei shrugged. "It's just, this is the first time we're complete in a long time, but there's just so much issues. I just want it to be like before."

They both finished their beers when an idea hit Yuuya head. "Ah! I know what to do!"

Rei stopped at the park before going home. He needed some fresh air, and he needed to sober up. He sat on a familiar park bench, the same one where he broke her heart. Suddenly he couldn't help it. All the memories flashed through his head.

_He didn't know it was going to be this cold this time of the year in the States. He felt like he needed at least one more layer of clothing but he was already quite far from his hotel. Rei was already in the campus anyway so he might as well look for her._

_The campus was really big, just as how he saw it in the pictures she had sent. There were some areas in the university that was very scenic. And the school buildings were rustic as the façade was all brick but he was quite sure that inside was very state of the art._

_He walked around a little more, he wasn't quite sure if he got her schedule right, but if he did then she should be around there somewhere. He looked at the trees and its almost-bare branches, then at the brown and orange leaves that almost formed the same path he was now walking on and wondered if she walked through this path every day. He sighed. This whole idea of Yuuya of coming to the U.S. seemed ill-conceived right about now, but it was probably because it was uncharacteristic of him._

_Not far from the building where he was sure her class was he saw raven-hair being blown by the wind. "Ah there she is." _

_He was going to call out her name, to which he was extremely sure she was going to be surprised and happy. He even made a bet with himself that she was going to cry, the crybaby that she is. After all, it's been almost two years._

_But before he could do so he saw a blonde-haired man approach her and lock her in an embrace. The man Rei saw was only a little taller than him, but surely skinnier, and his hair was sleeked back that showed a wide forehead. Then he saw the American whisper something in her ear, and why aren't they done with the embrace yet? But what set him over the edge was when the guy cupped Aya's face and gave her a kiss on the forehead._

_What was that feeling inside of him? He wondered. It was clenching his insides as if it was a towel being twisted dry until every drop of water was squeezed out of it. He wanted to take a step forward. No. He wanted to run to the guy and pull him away from the raven-haired beauty and beat the crap out of him._

_They finally broke from their embrace. She smiled at the blonde-haired man, a smile that Rei was hoping to see. The only difference was when he pictured this grand gesture in his head, she was smiling at him._

_He needed to see no more, he turned around and didn't look back._

**End**

**That's it for now! I have the next chapter written out but I'm not too sure it's ready yet. Please review! Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everyone! I'm alive! So, so, so sorry for the long update. I've had some trouble with how I wanted this story to progress, mixed with the added burden of school and yada yada yada.

But here's the next chapter, it's a gave a lot more details on what happened between Rana and Tatsuki. A little encounted between Rei and Aya. More of them in the next chapter. It's longer than usual, but I hope you endure. So enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Colleting Regrets**

After four days of working her ass off, Aya finally had some time off to enjoy herself. She accompanied Ran who wanted to go shopping for the beach trip Yuuya was planning the following weekend for his birthday celebration. It was nice to do something she used to do before she went abroad to study.

Aya did not tell anyone about her incident with Rei, not wanting to relive it herself. That's why she's been working real hard, so she can keep her minds off things.

"Aya! I'm so glad we got some pretty good deals!" the super gal said ecstatically. She still loved her fashion just like before, being a cop did not change that. "OH MY GOD! Those bathing suits are too cute!"

Ran pulled her friend into every shop and boutique that caught her eye. Aya didn't mind, she really missed these kinds of things. If only Miyu was available that time then it would really be like before. After two more hours of walking around and trying on clothes, the two girls were ready to grab a bite.

"Whew! Shopping really is the best relaxation!"

Aya smiled at her friend as they walked toward the restaurant they were going to eat at. She then noticed the corn-haired gal stop at her tracks and was staring at something on the window display. She turned to look at what Ran was looking at, and she looked back at her friend who was now wearing a solemn expression.

"My dress…" she mumbled. "It looked almost exactly like that." She was referring to the wedding gown on display, a white strapless, long gown with a heart-shaped corset and a ruffled skirt with intricate embroideries.

"Ran…"

When they got to the restaurant, her friend heaved a sigh. "Ran?"

The former leader of their group looked at her friend.

"If you don't mind me asking, what really happened to you and Tatsukichi?"

Ran looked at Aya with eyes that carry so much hurt. She hesitated for a moment, but Ran saw how Aya maybe needed to hear her reasons. "For the first time in my life, Aya, I did something I am really ashamed of. Something that until now, I can't forgive myself for doing – and that was hurting that man I loved the way that I did."

Aya listened with an open heart, because she knew that's what her friend needed. She could not count the many times that Ran did the same for her.

"I just… I wasn't ready to get married." This is going to be the first time she was hearing Ran's reasons first-hand. "I loved him, I really did. There was no doubt in my mind. But… we're both so young and there's so much of the world I haven't seen. When I looked at myself in the mirror, it was like I didn't recognize myself anymore, it's like bits and pieces of me were missing after so staying so long in the relationship with him. I wasn't ready to settle down. And he had so much to achieve!"

"But isn't that part of every relationship? Losing a part of yourself so you can make room for the othe? So you can make it work?"

Ran shook her head. "But to the point of not recognizing yourself? To the point of not knowing where you are and what you've done with your life and what you want?" she asked, her questions unanswered. "I just… I just wanted to be whole again, to be me again. And I couldn't do that if we got married. Everything just moved too fast, and I didn't handle it well."

"Did you tell him this?"

Ran nodded. "Of course! I couldn't hide it from him. It would have been unfair. But he didn't understand. He told me that I was just having cold feet, that I'll get over it sooner or later."

Their food arrived. She waited for the waiter to leave before she continued.

"But I didn't," she said quietly, almost a whisper. "And I told him maybe we should postpone the wedding. He was too happy he couldn't anymore see that I _wasn't_ even when I was trying to tell him."

"Oh, Ran. Tatsukichi just loved you so much…"

"I know. But it was suffocating! All I needed was… just a little more time." Ran looked out the window, "I couldn't do it in the end, I knew I'd regret it if I got married then and there and I'd blame it on him. So I… left."

"Ran…"

"I didn't regret not marrying him, I just don't like how I did it. I just regret that he got hurt," she looked Aya in the eyes. "Sometimes, Aya, we need to let some things, or some people, go so that we can grow. So that we can both grow."

"But now you're both hurting, so what good does that do?" Aya asked earnestly, because she still doesn't understand why Ran would just leave the one she loves.

"It's hard to see at first because of all the hurt, but do you see him now?" she looked out the window again, as if she can see something in the clouds. "He's better, he has ambitions of his own. He doesn't cling on to people anymore." There was a pause. "I'm hurting now because I miss him, and I know he's still mad at me because it's my fault. And I can only hope…"

"For what?"

"For the day when everything to fall into place. Sometimes, things fall apart, so better things can come to be."

On her way home, Aya was occupied by many thoughts. She wondered why people "let go" of the ones they love. That makes no sense, they should hold on to them, they should fight for. _He should have fought for me to stay._

She was so engulfed by her thoughts she didn't notice the red flashing light telling her not to cross the street. When she came to grips with reality there was an approaching car on her right coming her way honking at her. She was too shocked to move when she felt a force pull her arm backward, making her narrowly miss the car. Her back was to him so she could not immediately see his face, but the grip on her arm was strong and his other arm wrapped around her stomach, something that made her feel secure.

"KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" she heard the driver scream. That's when she realized that her heart was beating fast. She just narrowly escaped an accident, or even worse death.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have been roadkill!" exclaimed the man who pulled her off the road. It was a voice that she knew too well. He released his grip that embraced her, she felt her heart sink.

She turned around at her savior and saw a wide-eyed Rei Otohata staring back at her. "I-I'm… I wasn't." She wasn't sure if her heart was pounding because of the near-death experience or because he was there in front of her.

"Damn right!" he said angrily with worry visible in his eyes as he still clutched her arm.

"Hoshino-san! Are you alright?" asked a voice who was beside Rei. It was Kaoru.

Upon hearing her voice, he finally let go of her arm. "Umm yeah. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention."

"It's a good thing Rei-kun and I were approaching this stoplight and saw you about to cross the street!" she seemed sincere to Aya.

Aya looked from Rei to Kaoru and then back to Rei. "Um, yeah. That was really lucky of me." _I'm not sure that was luck, really. More like ironic._

Rei seemed to finally get his composure back. "Where were you heading anyway?"

"H-home."

"Oh you can't walk home alone now! You're still pretty shaken!" Kaoru said with a genuinely worried look on her face.

"No! No… it's okay." A car ride with those two would be the last thing she needs. She'd rather get hit by a car.

"Nonsense!" Kaoru insisted. "Rei-kun!"

"We'll bring you home."

If Aya thought the last car ride with Rei was dreadful, this one was unbearable! Kaoru kept making small conversations, asking her simple questions, keeping her entertained as if she was the kid in a family car ride. Rei didn't say a word, which wasn't surprising.

It seemed like forever when they got to her place. She thanked them both as she got down with her bags of things she shopped for.

"By the way, Hoshina-san, are you going to Yuuya-kun's birthday celebration?" Kaoru smiled.

Aya didn't know what to respond. "Um… maybe. I'll have to see with the schedule from the hospital."

"I see. Hope you'll be able too. Take care now." Aya closed the door to Rei's car.

"Aya," Rei called out forcing Aya to turn around. "Please… be careful next time." The ice prince rarely says please, the last time Aya heard that word from his mouth was when he asked her to stop crying.

He rolled his window back up but Aya noticed a sad expression on Kaoru's face, maybe she knew that too.

"The beach trip, huh?" Aya lied down on her bed, the back of her hand over her eyes, and she let herself fall back into her memories.

_Aya was staring at the stars, so many of them shown tonight. There are never this many stars in the city. "How can simple things like these," said Rei with a tone of endearing wonder, "make you smile from ear to ear?"_

"_Huh?" she looked at her boyfriend who was standing right beside her, they have been dating for about a year now. She gave him a warm smile, "why wouldn't they? They may be simple things, but they're the things we often overlook."_

_Suddenly she felt a hand on her lower back and before she knew it her face was just inches from his. "What is it about you…" she blushed at his words. "I think… I think I'm falling for you."_

_Without letting her express her reaction, Rei placed his lips on hers. A real, deep kiss, under the night full of stars._

Tatsukichi had his bag packed for the beach trip and by his door already. But he was still 50-50 on whether he should go or not. And this time it's not just being around Ran that bothered him, it was where they were going. He recalled the last time he'd step foot on that beach.

_The gang very much frequented this beach and the resort. So much so that Yuuya and Mami are planning to buy out the owners of the resort and manage it themselves. It is a nice three-story beach-front hotel with many amenities like a pool (as if the beach wasn't ready and waiting), a restaurant with a balcony over-looking the beach, a gym, a spa, basically the works!_

_He had asked helped from the boys, even the unwilling Rei, to help him execute his plan. He was so excited, barely even nervous for a guy who is proposing to the love of his life. He knew she'd say yes. At least with the way things were going in their relationship._

_Ran had been so supportive of him when he said that he just wanted to take over his family restaurant. Sure, at first she was apprehensive about him not continuing his education to pursue the family business, and she was saying something about having so many options in the world. But he didn't have big dreams like everyone else. All he wanted was a simple life, marry the girl of his dreams, take over his family's shop, have kids and grow old. And tonight he's one's step closer to his dream._

_The beach was set up with a small table for two, with champagne in an ice bucket in the middle, as well as a bouquet of red roses beside it. It was a few hundred meters away from the hotel so there was barely any other guest around. There were candles inside glasses situated around the area, reaching up to shore of the beach. It looked beautiful as it lit up the night just like the stars._

_The gang (except Rei who was just sitting in one of the two chairs around the table) were setting up the candles, when Tatsuki said "She's coming, I see her! Hurry hide!"_

_Ran was wearing a blue maxi dress with a design of flowers that made her look slim and elegant. Her her was tucked on the right with a flower pin. To Tatsuki, she was the most stunning girl in the world._

"_Tatsukichi! What's with making me walk all this way out when there's a perfectly good restaurant in the hotel?" she asked, annoyed, her grouched face betraying the elegance she earlier poised. "I just took a bath, and now I had to walk all the way out here –"_

_Tatsuki coughed, twitching his head, signaling her to look around. Only then did she actually notice the display of candles and the table for two._

_She gasped at the display. "What's all this?"_

_He grabbed the bouquet of roses from the table and handed it to her. She accepted, her jaw still dropping from the surprise._

_He knelt down on one knee and grabbed her left hand._

"_Ran, you are everything I dreamed of and more," he started._

"_Tatsukichi, what are you –"_

"_Wait, don't interrupt me," she was about to say something but closed her mouth. "I don't know what I did in my past life for me to have someone like you in this life. All I know is that…"_

_He took out a velvet box from his pocket and a diamond ring with a heart cut (it wasn't very big, but it was beautiful nonetheless), she gasped, realizing where this is going._

"_I want to spend the rest of this beautiful life with you. Will you marry me?"_

_She stood there speechless. Her eyes were glued to the beautiful ring in front of her. She barely noticed how her silence was greatly affecting the man in front of her._

"_Say something, please."_

"_I… I…" she stammered. "Yes."_

_He needed to hear no more. And as if on cue, the rest of their friends came out of hiding and prepared some poppers which they released. But Ran barely heard them, her response still resonating in her ears while she was pulled in a tight embrace by her boy- or rather her fiancé._

Back to reality, Tatsuki sat on his bed, the heel of his palms massaging his temples. For a long hard minute he stared at his desk drawer and he pulled it out.

His eyes immediately went to the velvet, purple box behind all the notebooks, pens, and envelopes in the same drawer. He stared at it long before shutting it back closed.

**End of Chapter.**

So how did you guys find it? Leave a review. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, everyone! This update is quite quicker than most of my previous ones. Thank you to the reviews! They get me excited to continue on with this story! So please keep them coming!

It's beach time for the gang! I'm so excited for the upcoming chapters! I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 6: Unsaid Things**

It was a lot different from how she remembered it. The hotel added a new wing, the beach front had a lot of chairs and umbrellas, there were areas dedicated to bonfires that were lit up at night at the early requests of its customers, there was a new restaurant where the old one used to be. Mami and Yuuya did great improving this resort, she thought.

The lobby was grand, as expected from Mami's taste in décor. Yuuya checked them in the new wing, and got them the suites in the top floor of the 5-storey hotel. They got two suites beside each other, both having the sea side view. Each suite had three rooms.

In one suite had Miyu, Yamato and their son sharing a room while another room was shared by Aya and Ran. In the other suite, Yuuya and Mami shared a room and they were expecting Rei and Kaoru to arrive and hoped that Tatsuki will as well.

Miyu and Aya were at the poolside clad in their two-piece bikinis and their sunglasses under the huge beach umbrellas and long beach chairs (on which they were lying on their backs). Yamato and Yuuya were playing with the former's sun by the pool while Mami treated Ran to a spa session.

The waiter arrived with their iced teas with a tiny umbrella to match. The ladies took their drinks and their respective sips before any of them began to talk.

"I'm so glad you came, Aya!" Miyu smiled looking at her friend, who smiled back. "You became so busy with the hospital ever since you came back that I barely saw you since The Dinner."

"I'm sorry, Miyu," Aya said apologetically. "I promise to make more time to meeting you guys!"

"I'm so glad to hear that," said Miyu. She hesitated to continue, but thought it better that she and her friend talk about it, "so how are you?"

Aya immediately knew what she meant even with the sunglasses hiding her eyes. She looked at the boys playing in the pool as she pulled both her legs to her chest and rested her chin on top of her knees.

"To be honest, I don't know," she answered, hiding her face behind her knees. "Because I still love him, and that hasn't changed for a long time. But he's moved on. And I see that clearly now more than ever. I can't have him, no matter how hard I try, and I've tried so hard, you know that," Miyu nodded. "He's moved on, he's with her now."

Miyu can hear the pain in her voice, but she can also hear the strength in there. "You'll be okay, Aya. Believe me, you are stronger than you know."

"Last night before coming here I told myself 'he's with her now' almost a hundred times over," Aya said, still not looking at Miyu.

"Oh, Aya…"

"To let it sink it. To drill it in my head," Aya continued. "I want to move on now too, Miyu. I really, _really _do. I want to move on. I want to get over my love for Otohata Rei. That was my resolve when I decided to come here. And I mean it."

Aya looked at her friend this time and put on a smile that was both determined yet sad. "I want to be happy too."

Miyu got up and sat beside her friend giving her a hug because she knew, even behind the shades, that she was fighting hard to stop the tears.

"We'll all be here. We'll help you heal, I promise."

"Thank, you." Yes, she was determined to move on

When dinner came, Rei and Kaoru arrived. Tatsuki on the other hand was still missing in action. Rei and Kaoru were supposed to arrive earlier but Rei had an emergency meeting with a client that he had to attend to.

All throughout dinner, Aya avoided any and all possible contact with Rei, purposely conversing and dragging on the conversation with anyone else just to distract herself. When dinner was over, she excused herself while the rest had ordered some wine and beer. Rei watched her leave as he took a sip from his beer. Yuuya gave him a slight nudge bringing him back to his senses.

"Stop staring," his friend said.

"I'm not."

Rei hardly focused on what was happening on the conversation on the table. Ran was talking about one of her recent encounters, something about a thief who used a fishing rod from a tree. Yamato and Miyu were recalling the first time their son kicked a soccer ball, saying something about it's a sign that he'll be a football player. Yuuya said something about… ah well who cares what Yuuya says. And Kaoru was telling them her story of a client who their firm designed a house for who wanted a swimming pool that looked like a penis.

Everyone was laughing and enjoying catching up. Mami excused herself to tend to some administrative matters. Seeing as he won't be missed, he excused himself saying he'll get some air, insisting that Kaoru stay with the happy group.

He went out to the veranda that had the beach as it's view. The shore is some 70 feet from where the last step of the veranda ends. In front of the veranda were some lit up bonfires that, to Rei, seemed appropriate to the mood he felt that cold night. And in the farthest bonfire to the right sat a girl before the lit firewood, hugging her thighs to her chest as she stared at the embers that danced around. She had a sarong wrapped around her, probably to shield her from the chill night. Her beautiful, raven hair glowed with the flame instead of melting into the night.

Before he was even aware of it, Rei was approaching the girl who was taking comfort by the bonfire.

"Is this seat taken?" he asked casually, knowing his voice was instantly recognizable to her.

Without looking up Aya replied, "There's plenty of beach to go around."

He took that as his cue to sit. They were at least two feet apart. Rei's legs were pulled up at an angle, his elbows resting to each knee and his hands clasped together.

It was silence between them for quite some time, neither noticed how long. The two stared at the flame in front of them. He was fascinated at it. Rei thought it was beautiful how it the colors of orange, red, and white in its different shades could dance like they did. He wondered at what temperature the fire could be at, how dangerous it would be to be near and to touch it. And yet, how it kept them warm and comfortable.

"What are you doing here all alone?" he finally broke the silence.

"You're here too," was her quick reply.

"But only quite recently. You were here since you left the dinner table."

He thought she wouldn't reply. "I was thinking."

"About?"

"Us."

He was surprised. Rei didn't think that she'd be so honest with her thought. He was so shocked that he wasn't able to mutter a reply.

"Or at least what used to be us," she continued. "And where do I go from here."

There was a slight pain that he felt in his chest area, but he was unable to identify what that was. He almost didn't want to ask, "And?"

She smiled, for the first time the whole night she looked at him. He could see there was some sadness, some pain, but there was also something else, something he couldn't put his finger on.

"I remembered one time we were in the beach, it was a night almost like this one, full of stars. Remember?"

He didn't respond. But he knew what she was talking about.

She smiled to herself, turning her gaze away from him, "Yeah, that was one of the happiest nights of my life." She sighed, "And I remember that last time I brought 'us' up. You told me we should break up. Completely opposite effects on me, you know?"

"Hn. Why are you bringing these up now?"

"You asked me," she said in what sounded like a pained voice. "You asked me what I was thinking about, and I was thinking about those. All those memories, all those times about us, when you'd give me a hug to show me your affection because you can't do it with words, when you held my hand when I got the news that my mom was terminally ill, when you held it even tighter on the day we buried her, when you would fall asleep beside me in the café while I was up studying because you didn't want to leave me alone, when you kiss me…"

She paused and he looked at her, his eyes filled with bewilderment. He remembered each and every one of those moments. Each one as painful as the next, but not as painful as what she was going to say next.

Aya returned her gaze to him, they were now staring at each other's eye. "And I also remember those times that we'd fight about the girls that clamor around you but you couldn't take my side, those times when I wanted you to accompany me to watch a movie or a play or go on a trip but you'd sent Yuuya or Tatsukichi or any of the girls to come with me instead, or that night I cooked you an entire course to celebrate your birthday in the apartment but you never showed because you were out with some friends, or the time all I wanted from you is to stop me from leaving and you were the one who pushed me away, and how you keep making me feel like I keep getting let behind by you" she said, watery layers forming around her eyes.

She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. She rested her chin on her knees, her gaze still following his.

"I'm so tired," she said, wiping the first tear that fell on her face. "All the good things that happened between us… they've just become painful memories. And I'm so jealous of you, because you've managed to move on, and I'm still stuck here, chasing after you when I know I can't have you. I'm so tired of enduring, that's all I ever do," the tears can't stop falling now. He tries to reach a hand out to her face, but she turns away, "I'm so tired of trying to fight the world that only keeps on saying that we aren't meant to be."

"Aya," he finally managed to say something.

She shook her head, "I'm going to move on now. I'm going to move on from you, from us." She turned to look at him, at his deep brown eyes and managed to say with a soft voice, "I'm letting you go now. She laughed a little, "Or maybe you were never mine to let go. What I mean is… I'm letting go of my feelings for you."

_Don't._

Aya smiled at him, the most painful, most sorrowful, yet most beautiful smile he saw, "I hope we can both be happy at the same time someday. Goodbye, Rei."

They knew they were going to see each other tomorrow, but her 'goodbye' meant so much more. And there was this urging feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him to do something, anything! But he didn't. He, instead, watched her stand, dust the sand off her dress, turn to the hotel and walk away.

Unbeknownst to him, Kaoru witnessed the whole thing from the side, near the trees, but she was barely noticed. What she did see what the pain in his eyes, the sadness and the longing that she was never on the receiving end of.

When Ran woke up the following day, she arrived at the breakfast table and found Rei, Miyu, Yamato, Yuri, Aya, Mami and Yuuya there already starting on the buffet. Aya tried her best to pretend like nothing happened the night before.

"Yeeeees!" Ran exclaimed with such energy as she outstretched her arms. "A buffet! All the food I can eat! Where to start?"

Mami was about to hide in embarrassment but her other friends were just amused. "Glad to see you haven't changed, or matured for that matter," Rei remarked.

"Rei, when there's free food, it'll always be like Christmas morning for me," she said before darting off to the waffle station.

"Thanks for bringing us here, by the way, Yuuya," Aya said.

"It's nothing!" he waved his hand as a gesture. "It's great to celebrate my birthday with you guys! And it's a good excuse from the wedding preparations too!" (he was referring to Mami's recent change, or reversion, in attitude).

When Ran came back to the table, she had a plate of waffles and pancakes, a plate hotdogs and sausages, another plate with toast with butter and eggs.

"You know, you can go back after you finish a plate," said Mami.

"That's exactly what I plan to do," Ran replied happily.

When she was about done with her plate of toast and eggs, someone greeted, "Hey, gang!"

Ran almost dropped her fork realizing who's voice it was.

"Tatsukichi, you bastard, you made it!" Yuuya greeted.

But all eyes, except Ran's, who still hasn't turned to look at him, were fixated on the lady attached to his arm.

She had long, blonde hair that was braided until the middle of her back. She had fringes that were just right on her eyebrows. Her blue eyes matched her pale complexion (which completely contrasted Tatsuki's). She wore a green maxi dress and platforms (which without, she would only probably be as tall as Tatsuki's shoulders).

"Guys, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Suzura."

Ran turned around on the word 'girlfriend'. Her heart almost stopped when her eyes laid on the two of them… together.

"Hi everyone, I'm Haruo Suzura," she smiled with her gentle features. "Nice to meet you all."

Tatsuki chuckled, scratching the back of his head with a free arm. "Sorry for bringing her on such short notice, but I wanted her to meet you guys. And Yuuya said it was alright if I could bring her."

Mami gave Yuuya a glare that only Yuuya saw. He shrugged implicating that he couldn't say no to him. Mami jerked her head to Ran's direction, the latter turned back to face her friends, slowly sinking back to her seat but her face completely in shock.

"Nice to meet you, Haruo-san," Kaoru was the first to greet noticing the silence amongst the group. "I'm Ishiki Kaoru."

With this, the rest of the group got their grips back. "Hi, Haruo-san, I'm Asuo Yuuya. Here come with me, and I'll ask the manager to find you guys a table so you can eat breakfast and have someone from the concierge to help bring your luggage to the room."

"Alright! I'm starving!" Tatsuki exclaimed. "It was quite a long drive here, I burned all I ate before we hit the road."

"Don't take too long!" warned Mami. "The boat trip we arranged from island hopping will pick us up in a while."

The three went away to look for the manager while Mami and the rest looked at Ran who was still in shocked.

"Ran," Mami called. "Ran!"

Ran, surprised, dropped the utensils she was holding to the plate, "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

Ran nodded almost mechanically. "Yeah… why wouldn't I be?" She resumed eating, even though she already lost her appetite.

**End of Chapter**

What did you guys think? I know I'm kind of slow on the build up of Aya and Rei but it's coming soon!

And I'm thinking of adding a storyline for Yuuya/Mami (not sure what I can write about Miyu and Yamato) because I really want to incorporate the other characters in the story!

Please leave a review! It'll greatly inspire me to write fast. And I want to get as much in before my classes start!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello, everyone! Here's another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews, I find them truly motivating.

This is more of a filler chapter, I'd think. A huge Aya-Rei confrontation in the next chapter, I promise. And I think I'll add a storyline for Mami and Yuuya.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Birthday Toasts**

Two small fisherman's boats were prepared for their trip. One carried Mami, Yuuya, Aya, Ran, Yamato, Miyu and Yuri. The second boat carried Rei, Tatsuki, Kaoru and Suzura, as well as their lunch, some blankets, chairs, utensils, coolers with drink and the such.

When they arrived at the island, they were in awe of its natural beauty. The sand was white and very fine, it doesn't absorb heat and so it didn't hurt at all to walk barefoot. The beach was clear and clean. There was barely anyone on the shores, it was like they had the island all to themselves (which wouldn't be surprising knowing Mami). Behind the shores was a forest of sorts, and their guides said that there's a small trail but all there is too see are trees and there's a small clearing somewhere inside.

The umbrellas and blankets were being set up along the seaside, most likely for the ladies to settle in. There was a long table already set up and the helpers that came with them began setting up the lunch in honor of Yuuya's birthday. The folding chairs, utensils and coolers were set up as well while the group was enjoying taking pictures and having a swim.

Ran, Aya and Miyu, along with Yamato, Yuri and and Yuuya, were playing around while swimming. Miyu brought along her son's inflatables and the gang were entertaining their group's first baby. Young Yuri is certainly loving being tossed around by his uncles as they teach him how to swim at the same time while his aunts and mother cheer him on.

Tatsuki and Suzura walked down the shore, exploring the seaside hand in hand. Mami was lying on her stomach on one of the blankets, sun-bathing. Rei was lying down as well under an umbrella, his hands acting as pillows for his head, his shades making it unsure if he was asleep or not. Kaoru sat silently beside her boyfriend.

"Rei?" there was no response. But knowing Rei, he was probably awake and listening. "Your friends are having fun over there, don't you want to join them?"

"Hn."

Kaoru thought of what to say next. Normally she was comfortable in his silence, she was comfortable with talking enough for the both of them. But what she witnessed last night, she suddenly didn't know what to talk to Rei about.

"They're really nice people, your friends," she said. "I can see why you care for them so much."

"I don't really care about them," he said nonchalantly, almost bored.

She chuckled, knowing how untrue that is. Kaoru looked at Rei, unsure if he can see her face, because if he can, then he must have seen the longing in her eyes. "They set the standards really high for me, you know?"

"Standards for what?"

She was quiet, and in an unintelligible whisper, she said, "on being loved by you."

"Can I ask you something?" she said, louder this time, hugging her legs to her chest. No response, but she continued on anyway, "hypothetically, if you know that the person you love is… _unhappy_ with you, but you can't let that person go because then you'll be unhappy… what would you do?"

It was a couple of seconds of silence, "Why the sudden question?"

"Just answer… please?"

"Hn," he groaned. "If that person is unhappy with me, I can't let that person stay with me. Why would I want someone who doesn't love me around?"

"But what if you love the person?" she asked, almost too pleadingly.

He thought about it. "Then doesn't it hurt?"

She was puzzled, "What hurts?"

"Seeing that person unhappy?"

"But then—"

"Did I hear the food's ready?" yelled Ran all the way from the beach, right after one of the help informed Mami of the status of lunch.

"What the hell, Ran?" screamed Mami back. "As long as its food, everything is within earshot for you, isn't it?" But deep inside, Mami was at least pleased to see that Ran still had her energy despite the turn of events.

"Of course!" Ran smiled from ear to ear. Unknown to them, she was still feeling sick inside, almost wanting to vomit. She tried her best to keep it together to not let her friends worry.

The ladies were the first to come out of the water, some of them putting on the clothes they wore going on the trip, such as Aya who, on top of her bikini, used her denim shorts and yellow halter top as a cover up, and Miyu who wore her strapless long maxi dress. Ran, on the other hand, looking eager to get to the food, just went with her bikini. Mami wrapped a sarong around her waist. The men just went straight to the table in their topless forms.

On the long table were grilled squid and fish, sautéed shrimps and scallops, a bowl of lobsters and crabs ready for the picking, seaweed soup, oysters, and fried soft-shelled crab. It was definitely a seafood fiesta. There were also grilled barbeque and fried chicken prepared by the hotel staff just in case anyone didn't like seafood.

Before eating they sang Yuuya a birthday song and popped a bottle of chilled champagne they brought with them.

They all held up their champagne glasses, except little Yuri who didn't understand what was going on. "Cheers to Nii!" yelled Ran. They cheered.

"And cheers to Nii and Mami who are getting married in just a few weeks!" yelled Miyu. They cheered.

"Thank you, everyone," said Yuuya with a smile that reached ear to ear. "I would like to make just one more toast," they all raised their glasses. "To our friendship that have, God knows how, survived more than a decade. We've gone through more fights and misunderstandings that could last a last time. We've gone through marriages and childbirth," he said winking at Miyu before continuing, "college graduations and scary job interviews, and unemployments… as well as life choices that made us part ways, but only for a while. Because, no matter the distance, no matter how long it took, we still managed to find our way back home to each other. Cheers."

And they cheered, Miyu shedding a tear while Tatsuki nearly into sobs. Yuuya placed an arm over his fiancée's shoulders and gave her a kiss.

"Niiiiiii," cried Tatsuki who went over to give Yuuya a hug.

The rest of lunch went on cheerily, it could possibly be the happiest they've been collectively since any one of them can remember.

It was around three in the afternoon and the gang was doing their own thing. Yuri was taking his afternoon nap, tired from all the running around and swimming, and took his place on his mother's lap. His father was beside Miyu, sleeping on his side, also just as tired it seems. Mimi smiled as she looked at her little family, happy as she could ever be.

Rei was lying down under an umbrella, similar to his earlier position but this time truly asleep. Yuuya was right beside him, flat on this stomach. It seemed that Tatsuki and Suzura were the only ones with a lot of energy to spare as they were swimming around in the beach, giggling and teasing each other, sometimes tickling and chasing each other around.

The sight nauseated Ran, who was on the long table with Mami and Kaoru chatting, even more. "Yuck, someone should just drown the two of them," a thought she accidentally said out loud.

"Ran!" cried Mami.

Ran's were wide open realizing the words that came out of her mouth.

"Ran," began Kaoru, who seemed hesitant to proceed. The two girls eyed her. "Never mind," she laughed it off.

Aya, on the other hand, decided to find that clearing. The guide promised her it was easy to find because there was a trail and there were no wild animal in that forest. Although the trees' roots are quite high and there are vines so she had to watch her step. The guide said the most tourists try to make their way to that spot in the forest because the sun hits it up perfectly creating a perfect scenery that gives a person some serenity, something she much needed at the moment.

The guide was right, the little field was an enclosed circle, one can barely hear the waves of the sea there. The grass wasn't overly grown, there weren't flowers, it was just a field of green. The trees around were bulky with the braches serving as shade. It was breezy in that area, counteracting the effect of the heat of sun, whose light hit all the right places making it as if the place was glowing. Birds would chirp once in a while.

Aya closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in her surroundings. She told herself that for every breath she exhaled she was breathing out the pain from her heart and letting it all go. And so she took several deep breaths as she tried to relax her entire body.

_All of the she was jealous of other girls and the reason she was jealous of them._ Breathe.

_All of the times she stayed up all night thinking thoughts of him that made her restless._ Breathe.

_All of the fear that built up inside of her; the fear of losing him, being left by him, and being unloved by him. _Breathe.

_All of the times she cried herself to sleep because of him, because she lost her mother, and because she was lonely being alone. _Breathe.

_All of the pain that just wouldn't go away. _Breathe.

Slowly, barely noticing it herself, she fell asleep, her back resting on the hard tree trunk. And for a while, her heart didn't ache of pain and a tear didn't fall from eyes.

She opened her eyes and the first thing she noted was how much gloomier the sky was that when she got to the clearing. Aya checked her phone and it was already 5:34 pm. She cursed inwardly remembering how there were supposed to go back to the hotel at 5:30pm. Her friends must be looking for her by now.

Quickly she stood up, dusting off her shorts, and quickly walking the trail. She was trying to walk as fast as she can, all the serenity she had a moment ago, gone.

She was finding herself at the narrower portion of the trail, one the was much harder to walk on because of the overlapping roots and vines. She quickly found herself in a predicament there being a fork on the trail she didn't notice the on her way to the clearing.

"Aya!" she heard a voice vaguely, not knowing who it was from.

"I'm here!" she shouted back, picking the trail she thought was where the voice was coming from.

"Ran! Miyu!" she called out hoping her friends would hear her, any friend,

Aya was trying to look ahead to see if she was getting closer to shore when her step became uneven making it hard for her to balance. But it was her next step, when her left foot tried to find something to land on that caused her misstep. The root she stepped on was slippery from the moss that accumulated causing her to slip, twisting her ankle at the sudden fall.

"Shit," she cursed, landing on her butt, her palms breaking her fall.

"Aya!" she heard again, this time responding with "I'm here! HELP!"

She tried to get up and walk but a step with the left foot sent bolts of pain that caused her to fall back. Knowing she wouldn't be able to walk, she kept shouting, "HELP!"

The skies were getting darker and darker, soon it would be black, indicating the arrival of night, she realized. She needs to be found now!

"HEEEEEELP!" she screamed even louder. "RAN! MIYU! ANYONE! PLEAAAASE!"

She found herself about to cry at her helplessness, remembering how she was back in the days of the Gals! How she wished it was just as it was back then right at that moment. Because at any second, Ran would be appearing out from the sky and into her rescue, and everything will be alright,

But minutes passed and no sign from that super gal. She hated to admit it but she was becoming hopeless, and her throat has become itchy from all the shouting. Aya tried her best not to cry as her surrounding became more difficult to see.

"HEEEEELP! SOMEONE!"

Suddenly she saw a hint of light a few meters from where she was, someone was coming for her.

"I'M HERE!" she screamed, the light getting bigger by the second. The many trees were fragmenting it so she could not clearly see where it was coming from.

The light was coming nearer and nearer, and suddenly she didn't feel so hopeless anymore. She knew Ran would find her, she always does.

"Help! I can't walked!" she screamed with less volume, it was becoming difficult for her.

And there it was, the light was just around the corner, but she was unable to see who was holding the flashlight, just a shadow from where she sat. So she tried to stand up and walk, giving it another shot.

This time she took her time, trying not to put too much weight on her injured leg. Once she got her balance, putting all her weight on her right leg, she lifted her sprained leg and carefully made a step. But it was no less painful that it was earlier and she lost her footing, causing her to fall forward.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact on the hard ground but instead felt two hands catch her on the side. The sudden break in falling caused her to make another step with her right foot and so suddenly she was pressed against the chest of her savior.

Aya opened her eyes and raised her face to see who it was and saw chocolate brown eyes looking right back at her. And there he was again, every time she'd least expect it, least expect _him._ There he was before her eyes, his grip tight around her arms, his chest like a wall, blocking her from her fall, his eyes locked in hers, his face just two inches away from hers.

"What the hell were you thinking!" he screamed, worry evident in his voice and in his eyes.

Yet, she didn't really hear what he said. If only for a moment, she felt saved.

**End of Chapter**

What did you guys think?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Cold Nights, Warm Hearts**

Ran stared at the now disappearing island as their boat sped off back to the hotel's shore. The trip back was more turbulent because the wind was much stronger at night, but Ran didn't mind that. She was more concerned about the three people who were not with them in that boat, namely Aya, Rei and Yuuya.

_They've been looking for Aya for the past 20 minutes, shouting her name and dispersing, the helps and the guide had already checked the trail but there was no sign of her. Perhaps she got lost, they said._

"_Ms. Mami, we really have to get going, the winds will only get stronger as the night comes closer," insisted the guide. All of the equipment and utensils have been packed into one boat. It was nearing 6pm._

"_We can't leave Aya behind!" Ran said irritated._

"_I know that, Ran," said Yamato, carrying a hungry Yuri. "But they're right, it will be impossible to travel using these boats out to sea. They won't withstand the waves!"_

"_But still!"_

_Rei had gone missing as well. Just a few minutes ago he took one of the emergency flashlights and went inside the forest._

"_Calm down, Ran," said Mami. "The locals have proposed that the rest of us go back and they'll stay behind to look for Aya with Rei. When we get back to the hotel, they'll send a speedboat that can traverse the waves. Yuuya also volunteered to be left behind. What do you, say?"_

_Ran hesitated. "I'll stay behind too."_

"_It's too dangerous for a lot of us to stay behind, might not fit the speedboat," informed the guide._

_Miyu placed a hand over her friend's shoulder, "Ran, let's leave it to Rei and Yuuya. They won't let anything happen to Aya."_

There's nothing left for them to do but hope for the best. The boat they were on was solemn, everyone there worried for their friends no matter how the locals assured them they'll be okay.

Rei arrived back to shore carrying on his back a tired-looking, red-eyed Aya. When Yuuya caught a glimpse of her left ankle he understood why Aya was not able to get back to shore, it was red and has gotten really swollen. She couldn't possibly have walked with that foot.

Rei laid her down on the long table that was left behind and one of the help luckily knew how to apply first aid. He took out one of the folding chairs that was already in the boat and sat in front of Aya, letting her injured foot rest on his lap as he began placing some ice (that was left over from the cooler) in a towel for a couple of minutes around her swollen foot and then eventually wrapping it tight with bandage. Rei left her side and walked several meters down the shore finally settling down in an area by sitting down and staring ahead.

Yuuya stayed beside her asking her what happened and explaining to her the situation with the boats and the rest of the gang. Aya understood why the rest had to go ahead and felt bad for making her friends worry about her and causing all these inconveniences.

She took a look at Rei who seemed distant from the world. "He was so worried about you, you know?" said Yuuya who caught her staring. "He literally grabbed a flashlight and ran into the woods the moment the guides said you might have gotten lost in there."

"The first thing he did was get mad at me," Aya huffed a laugh.

"That's his way of showing his worry," replied Yuuya.

She sighed.

"You're still special to him, you know?" Yuuya said, now also looking at his brown-haired friend at the distance. "Even though you're not together anymore. He'll always care for you… of course he'll have a strange way of showing it."

"Then what will I do?" the raven-haired beauty looked at her friend with a sad smile.

He turned to look at her, waiting for what she'll say.

"How will I stand by my resolve if he keeps acting that way?" she continued. "How can I unlove him if he keeps doing things like this? Right after I tell myself to let him go…"

Yuuya paused. "Can you ever unlove someone? I think that even if you let the person you love go, you still love them. By letting go, you're just accepting the fact that you can't be with them, not right now at least, or that you're not what they need at the moment," he said, pausing before he continued. "Maybe in time you can fall out of love with a person, that the affection you once felt will fade. But you can't unlove them. There's no undoing the love you've already given to them and the love that you've received. Well, that's what I think."

Aya broke away from his gaze and stared out the distant sea. "I've been waiting so long already," she smiled as if it was ironic. "How much longer until I fall out of love with him?"

Yuuya placed a hand on her should reassuringly. "Just stay strong, Aya… You'll get the happiness you deserve."

* * *

Ran was sitting by the shore, her arms resting on her knees, her eyes fixated on the endless blackness beyond the sea. She hadn't changed into something warmer despite the chilly night as she was still wearing her orange summer dress from earlier. She has been having the feeling of regret down the pit of her stomach ever since they got back even though they've already informed the rescuers to prepare the speedboat to retrieve their friends. They were just getting the speedboat ready, before they drag it out to sea, making sure they had first aid kits, some blankets, fuel and a working navigation. Of course, helping speed up the process was Mami shouting at her staff to rescue her fiancé.

They receive a radio message from the guide that was left behind informing them that Aya had been found and that she sprained her ankle. Nonetheless, it didn't keep Ran from worrying about her friends. After all, anything can still happen.

All of a sudden she felt warmer around her arms, the chilly wind blocked from her body, and she realized that a blanket was being wrapped around her. She turned around and saw the blond-haired Tatsuki there. She didn't say anything and neither did he. He sat a good meter from her, his legs pulled up to the point where his elbows can rest atop his knees.

They were silent for a while. His sudden appearance confused Ran, causing her to momentarily forget about the program at hand. But when she looked at him, Tatsuki was just staring out to the sea which brought her back to the reality that her friends were still out there.

"You should stop worrying," he finally broke the silence and in straight voice. "They'll be okay. Aya will be okay, Rei is with her."

This is the first time they actually talked in too long.

"Are you… okay?" he asked.

His sudden concern stunned Ran. "Y-yeah," was the best she could muster. "T-thanks by the way, for this blanket."

Tatsuki nodded.

"Are we…" Ran began, seeing the opportunity to bring it up. "Are we okay, Tatsukichi?"

Ran noticed how he winced upon hearing his nickname. "Yeah, why wouldn't we be?"

Ran looked down, placing her hands to her sides playing with the sand.

"It's been a long time, after all," Tatsuki added. "I've already moved on."

"Yeah, I can see that," she muttered grudgingly. She then turned to face him, her face resting "Have you… have you forgiven me?"

"Let's not talk about it now, Ran," was his quick response.

"No, let's," said Ran sternly as she changed her body position to face him. "We're here now and you're finally talking to me, so let me ask you what I've been wanting to ask you."

Tatsuki faced her, annoyed. "Ran, just drop the issue!"

"No!" she was gaining courage on momentum.

Tatsuki turned away, refusing to answer.

"Just answer me, please," she begged, but no response. Tatsuki groaned.

"Please, Tatsukichi!"

And he winced once again at the nickname he once found endearing because it came from her. He turned to face her, a hint of annoyance and anger in his eyes.

"Fine, you want to know?" he snapped. "To be honest, Ran, no. I haven't. I don't know how I could forgive you for what you did. And sometimes when I don't want to see you because I'm reminded of everything! Sometimes I just want you to feel just how much you hurt me. Are you happy now?"

This took Ran by surprise as well, jerking back at his sudden response. Unconsciously tears were falling from her eyes. Tatsuki saw this and regretted his outburst. He was about to reach his hand out to comfort her but decided against it.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, breaking from her gaze and once again stared back at see. "I didn't mean to—"

"Is that why you brought her to this trip," she asked bluntly. "To hurt me?"

He was stunned at her question, but responded quickly. "I didn't intend for you to get hurt with what I said, Ran. Really, I didn't. And I didn't bring Suzura to hurt you either. I brought her here because I wanted her to meet my friends," he took a deep breath. "I told you to let it go, but you kept pushing. So I answered you honestly. I didn't mean to sound harsh, I'm sorry."

The tears wouldn't stop flowing, all the bravery she had earlier gone. "I'm… I'm… I'm so sorry, Tatsukichi… for everything… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Tatsuki turned to face her, but she couldn't identify the look in his eyes because the tears were preventing her from getting a clear view.

"I'm so sorry. I can't be sorry enough… for hurting you, I'm so sorry."

"Ran, stop—"

"I'm so sorry," she said one last time before standing up and running back to the hotel.

He didn't chase after her. He felt bad for the words that he had said. He really didn't want to hurt her. No matter what she did to him, no matter what pain she put him through, he could never manage to hurt her intentionally.

* * *

Aya sat on the sand by the shore, Yuuya helped her settle down and he went back to talking to the guide about how long it'll take for the speedboat to get to them. She stretched out the leg with the sprained ankle, her other legged propped up at an angle. She leaned back, her arms preventing her from completely lying down on the sand.

She looked at the stars contemplating how long and eventful this day turned out to be. From the boat ride, to the lunch, to her small little trek, to her time alone, to getting lost and injured, and to getting rescued by _Rei_, when he caught her in his arms. Remembering his touch sent shivers down her body.

Aya closed her eyes and remembered how tight and secure his grip felt when he prevented her from falling. And she recalled how firm his chest was, and how he smelled like, how mesmerizing his brown eyes were even though it was dark, and how his face was so close to her, almost…

_Stop! Oh my god, what are you doing, Aya? Get a grip._ She mentally slapped herself.

And then she sighed and closed her eyes again. Her thoughts trailing back to where they left off.

The look on his eyes, she has never seen him so worried about her. They stared at each other for a while, and he said something he couldn't remember because looking at his eyes, she forgot everything else, even the pain from her throbbing ankle. Then, out of the blue, she felt a force push her against him, her chest pressed against his. Her eyes wide, realizing how his right hand rested on the small of her back and his left hand wrapped over her left shoulder. He was embracing her, and the touch of his skin on hers felt electric, yet at the same time warm, and she almost can't feel the cold wind blowing.

Her face was buried around his neck, and she could feel his chin resting on the left side of her head. She could smell him, and it was just like she remembered. He felt his heart beating fast, or was that hers? She couldn't tell, but she loved –

She slapped her face a little with both her hands, trying to remove the flush of red that had crept up to her face.

"What are you doing?" Rei, who was suddenly behind her, asked.

She turned around, thanking the darkness for preventing her blush to be seen. "Nothing, nothing," she said.

Rei then took a seat by her side. "How's your ankle?"

"It's fine, I can't move it so it doesn't really hurt anymore."

"Good."

There was silence.

"Thank you, by the—"

"About what you said last night," Rei interrupted her, taking Aya by surprise. "Do you mean it? Will you really," he tried to find the words, "let me go?"

Aya was speechless.

"Rei," said Aya, looking at Rei, before she was cut off again.

"What if I don't want you to," he said, almost like a whisper, his eyes still not meeting hers.

END


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the month-long delay! I needed to think real hard on how I was going to make possible the ending I had in mind. Thank you for the reviews, they make me so happy! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter.

This one's shorter than the recent ones. But I have a goal not to make this past 20 chapters so the next couple of chapters will be longer than usual. Enjoy!

**Chapter 9: What We Can't Have**

"About what you said last night," Rei interrupted her, taking Aya by surprise. "Do you mean it? Will you really," he tried to find the words, "let me go?"

Aya was speechless.

"Rei," said Aya, looking at Rei, before she was cut off again.

"What if I don't want you to," he said, almost like a whisper, his eyes still not meeting hers. "It's just a while ago—"

"Rei, don't do this…"

"What if I tell you, don't? Don't let me go yet, Aya," he said pleadingly, now looking at her.

"Stop it!" she said at once, silencing him. "Why are you doing this? Why me?"

He stopped, unable to respond.

"How can you ask that of me?" she demanded, tears filling up her eyes. "How can you do that when you yourself let me go?"

"That's not what—" Rei was reaching out his hand to cup her face but she slapped it away.

"No! Stop it, Rei! You were the one that didn't _fight _for _me_, remember?" she said with emphasis.

"You were going to medical school, what was I supposed to do?" he said defensively. Pain shot up in his dark brown eyes, but Aya chose to look past it. "What did you _expect_ me to do?"

"You were supposed to ask me to _stay!"_

"It was your dream, Aya! I couldn't have asked that from you…"

"But you're asking this of me now? You're asking this of me after all _this_ happened?" she asked incredulously, unable to described the situation they were in with the right appellation. Didn't she try to work things out with him? Even when she came back, wasn't she the first one to bring their past up, wanting to put some clarity into it, maybe even a continuation? If only she had enough adrenaline, she would completely ignore the nagging pain of her ankle and walk away from him, just as he did her.

She looked at him, hurt evident in her eyes, with a stare that wanted him to know she was hurt, and that what he kept doing hurt her. And so it took them a little while longer to utter a word. They both took deep breaths, realizing where this conversation has led to, in order to compose themselves. Aya didn't know what came over Rei for him to have said all these things, or where it was coming from. _If only_… she thought, if only he had said these things a little sooner, he would have said yes to him in a heartbeat. But, there's just so much pain now, and so many parties involved.

She exhaled exhaustedly. "You have Kaoru now, Rei, what about her?" she asked, as if she was the only one who remembered that they weren't the only parties to this very complex relationship situation.

He didn't respond.

"I could be selfish, Rei, it would be easy, it _really _would," and she would have done so if she didn't see that Kaoru was a genuinely nice person. "After all, for the longest time you were all I wanted. And maybe I regret going abroad because I lost you when I already had you. And maybe I do want you still, maybe I do love you still. _I don't know!" _she took a breath. "But... you have her, and you're hers now," she said, even though deep down, every single word pierced her already-broken heart.

"Aya, I just—" trying to reach out another hand to her.

She shook her head, moved back a little and tried to smile, a painful, sad smile. She knew that if he said anymore, any more words that she would have wanted to hear a long time ago, she'll break. Because the only think that's keeping her from falling into his arms again was her self-respect. "Stay with her. I'll be okay."

Just then, they saw a beam of light coming from the vast darkness accompanied by the sound of running motor and the splashing of water.

"The speedboat is here!" said Yuuya, approaching the two. It was unclear if he was aware of the conversation they were having. "Let's go!"

Aya gave Rei one final look as she smiled at him with sad knowing eyes.

Yuuya and Rei helped Aya get up as a medic approached them. The medic placed an arm around her and assisted her as she walked toward the beach, while Yuuya and Rei stayed right behind her in case she fell back. Once they were right before the water, the medic carried her with his arms across the waters and when they were near the boat the man on board reached for Aya and helped her climb the boat. The rest followed and climbed on board, leaving the fisherman's boat to be retrieved the morning after.

When they arrived back at the hotel, they were greeted by all their friends (except Miyu who fell asleep putting Yuri to sleep, and Suzura who fell asleep; it was all a sleeping chain, really).

Mami rushed over to Yuuya, giving him a tight hug and holding his face in his hands, kissing him.

"I'm okay," he smiled, when the kiss broke.

Yamato and Tatsuki went to thank the personnel who helped their friends out, as well as the guide and help who stayed with Aya, Rei and Yuuya.

Ran dashed to her injured friend who has being assisted by medics, giving her a big hug. "Oh Aya, you crazy girl! Don't ever do that again!"

She smiled at her corn-haired friend, whose eyes, she noticed, were red and swollen.

Aya looked to her left and saw Rei, who was greeted with a hug from Kaoru. She felt a twinge in her heart, but she understood that that wasn't going away for a while, but she will get better.

As if reading her mind, Rei turned to right and his dark brown eyes met hers. They gazed at each other for a couple of seconds, there was a knowing in their stare, a knowing that neither is in pain alone but they both just have to accept where they stand right now. Aya broke away first just as Kaoru was about to release him from her embrace. The dark-haired beauty, wrapped in a towel still, allowed herself to be assisted by the medics and her friend as they walked back into the hotel.

"Rei, are you okay?" Kaoru said in earshot. Rei either did not reply or Aya was not able to hear it. Even though it hurt, she knows it was the right decision to let him go for he now belongs to someone else.

* * *

With tired bodies (and spirits) they went to sleep that night capping off Yuuya's birthday celebration, recollecting the fun and the happy, and putting aside the horrible incidents that happened. That is, with the exception of one brown-haired man who sat in a chair in the balcony of his hotel room that overlooked the sea. He sat wearing a robe that helped him withstand the chilly night, and held a cup of tea with both his hands.

He remembered, as he felt the warmth of the cup of tea, of the warmth he felt when he held Aya's frail body in his hands and how no where near was that cup to that same comfortable, familiar warmth. And he remembered how he sat there on the sand, some distance from said raven-haired girl, and how all he wanted to do was take her in his arms especially after the fear he felt of losing her. He sat there under the stars thinking he didn't want to lose her, _not her._

Then his thoughts were focused on the conversation they had, not on the words, but how she reacted to him. He reached out his hand, to touch her face, to give her some comfort that his words fail to do, but as he got close she moved away, rejecting his touch. All he can see was the sadness in her eyes.

She was right, though, he thought. He didn't fight for her, and he doesn't have any good excuse for that. He might think that her career as a doctor was worth letting her go, but she wanted to stay, and all she needed was for his to say the magic words, _I want you to stay_. And when he was there in the United States, to see her, to maybe work out a relationship with her, he balked.

Rei sighed as he leaned forward from his chair, his eyes fixed on the motionless cup of tea in his hands.

"Can't sleep?" a friendly voice asked.

"Hn," was Rei's reply.

Yuuya stepped out into the balcony and hunched over the railings, placing his arms on top of them as he held his own cup of tea.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Yuuya, neither of them looking at the other.

"You first."

The second-placer took a sip of his tea. "Breakfast. I think I want bacon tomorrow, or ham. What say you?" he answered. "Your turn."

"You're lying."

"You're brooding."

"What's new?"

"Not you."

There was silence between them. Yuuya took the other seat beside Rei, they were only separated by a small circular table between the two chairs.

"I asked her to wait for me," Rei finally said. He really doesn't know how Yuuya can get stuff like these out of him.

"I heard," Yuuya replied adding, "it was a small beach, there wasn't much places to go to avoid eavesdropping."

"Tch."

"You shouldn't have asked her that, you know?"

Rei was silent, but he gripped his tea tighter, almost clenching it. But then, just when Yuuya thought that he would blow up in anger, Rei closed his eyes. The blond saw his friend's shoulders relax as he leaned back to his own chair.

"I always thought…" Rei began. "I always thought she was going to be there. That no matter what I do or where I go, she'll always be there waiting for me. Like she always did, remember?" Yuuya said nothing to affirm. "Somehow, at the back of my head I always felt that when I turn around I'll see her, and she has come back to me and that she is ready to accept me back. I thought I'd always have time…"

"She's not your safety net, Rei."

"I know that."

There was a pause. "So then what?" Yuuya urged on.

"Then I talked to her, last night. And for the first time, I felt like she's not coming back. I saw in her eyes that she really was letting me go. She was saying 'goodbye' and she _meant it_." For the first time in a long time, Yuuya saw his best friend come to terms with his feelings. It was rare to see him vulnerable and honest. It was weird, but at least he knew that there was something more to their friendship than two good-looking people hanging out. This was the sort of thing people didn't know about the two buddies, something they'll never find out either.

"You were going to lose her," his friend understood why he did what he did.

"I think…" he trailed, "I think I already did."

Yuuya sighed. It was rare for him to hear his friend so heart-broken. He felt sorry for Rei.

"I'm sorry, man."

Rei shut his eyes and placed his right hand over them. "Your turn."

It was Yuuya's turn to be honest, and he knew that. After much emotional revelation from his mysterious best friend, he knows he need to be honest.

"I don't want to go back," he said, looking up at the sky. "I don't want morning to come because, I don't want to go back to the city. I just want this escape to last longer."

Even though it couldn't be seen because his arm was covering his face, Rei was raising an eyebrow. "What are you trying to escape from?"

"From work. From my family," he replied before continuing with hesitance. "From the wedding."

At this, Rei removed his arm from his face and turned his head to look at his friend questioningly.

"I don't think Mami and I should get married," he whispered, leaning forward.

Rei shot up from his seat, "What the hell, Yuuya? Don't you dare—"

Yuuya looked Rei straight in the eyes. "I can't have kids."

The brown-haired number one knew the implications of that. It took him a while to think of what he should say to him, but he knew that no amount of comforting would ease what his friend was feeling.

"That's it, I'm buying beer."

* * *

Whew. There goes another chapter! What did you guys think? Leave a review!


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! Wew finally got to finish this chapter! So much happening in this one so I hope you don't mind that this is quite long(er that the rest). Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter, they got me so excited for this one! Tell me what you guys think, okay?**

Disclaimer: I don't own Gals!

**Chapter 10: Revelations**

It was 8pm when Aya got back home from work. She headed to her small living room, tossed her sling bag and white coat on top of the table and resigned herself to her soft, soft couch. The dark-haired doctor let herself slouch back, closing her eyes shut as she tried to recover from the day's events.

To say that the hospital was busy today was an understatement. There was an accident in the city today, a fire broke out in an apartment building somewhere downtown and adjacent buildings also caught fire. The nearest hospital could not accommodate all of the victims so a lot of patients were redirected to where Aya worked. It was all hands on deck, even for the interns who were still learning. There were a lot of 3rd degree burn victims, the worst kind. They were in pain, shouting and screaming, and looking for their loved ones. Some couldn't be identified. Some died. Aya dealt with one of the victims who died just a few hours after being brought to the hospital. It was a lost cause, said her attending.

She wanted to cry. There was a lot about today that made her feel disillusioned about the profession she decided to choose. Today, a lot more died than they were able to save. But the more experienced doctors did tell her that what's more important is that they are able to save those who could be saved, those who would have died otherwise. Still, it made her want to vomit… again.

The doctor was ready to fall asleep, in fact, this has been her routine for the past two weeks. It has been two weeks since that Beach Trip. She kept herself busy in the hospital so she could avoid thinking about it. Of course, her colleagues only thought of it as her dedication. And for the past two weeks the only time she hung out with her friends was when it had something to do with Mami's wedding. She didn't know what was making her such a bridezilla though, the fact that her wedding is so near or that she and Yuuya have been fighting a lot.

But then a ring from her doorbell stopped her from falling into complete slumber. Lazily, she got up to answer who was at her door. When she opened her door, to her eye-level was a broad chest in button-up polo under a blue sweater vest. Looking up to see the face of her visitor, she was met with a blue-eyed, blond haired man with a wide, extremely beautiful, smile.

"Cody?"

* * *

The blond-haired second placer heaved a sigh. A couple of days back in the city and he felt all the energy he recovered from the brief vacation has already been drained out of him. This particularly day was barely half over and all he wanted to do was lie on his bed, close his eyes, shut his ears from all of the details and black out.

He had brunch with his bride-to-be and future in-laws in the large estate, discussing over the details of guests, entourage and seating arrangements. Mami's aunt cannot be seated anywhere near ten feet of her estranged husband, who happens to be a big stockholder of the Honda Enterprises, so he cannot be seated far back or far from the aisle. A certain business partner will feel offended if this other business partner will be placed in the same row as he, but there are no other seats available. It was really _tough_. And don't get Mami started on the entourage…

It's not like he is disinterested about the wedding details. He knows that women have always been planning their wedding since childhood, but he also knows that women hate it when men don't have an opinion about their own wedding, something about not caring about the single most important day of their lives. Weddings make people (or just the women) crazy, that's what he thought. So, even though he knew that Mami will have the final say on their wedding cake, he still went with her to the country's most highly-acclaimed patisserie to do some cake-testing. But if he was being completely honest, he couldn't tell the difference anymore after the fifth cake. And he didn't care if the frosting was fondant or buttercream, or if it was going to be 5-tiered or 7-tiered, if some of the tiers were going to be faux, or if their Mediterranean-themed dinner would not match the marzipan-fruits designed that Mami was leaning towards.

"This one's good too," he offered when Mami got his attention back to the cream-colored fondant-covered cake is just took a bite off, even though he already completely forgot the taste of the cake.

Mami shook her head, putting the dessert spoon down. "No, no. Not this one."

Yuuya sighed again, which was left unnoticed by Mami of went back to the first slice of cake line up. "Maybe if you can have this one in white frosting but the filling…"

He didn't listen to the rest, knowing at this point his opinion was no longer needed (not that it was even when the testing started). But it's not that he doesn't care, he just didn't care about the _details_. If it were up to him, he would marry her in a small ceremony, just their family and friends as witnesses, in a small chapel and have a simple garden dinner.

"What do you think, honey?" she asked, catching him off guard.

"Um, I didn't really hear you back then, can you repeat that?"

She frowned at him, and gestured to one of the pastry chefs that the cake was a go. "Are you okay?" she asked as she approached him, the room being cleared out slowly, leaving the two of them to talk privately.

Yuuya offered his fiancée a smile, "Of course, my love. I'm just… you know how I don't know a lot about these things."

Mami frowned. "I told you after brunch, you didn't have to come with me to this."

"Of course I did. Don't try that reverse psychology on me," Yuuya offered a wink.

"Fine," she said, caught. "But you're so out of it lately! Normally you'd at least be a better actor, but you're just so… distant."

She was trying to sound angry, knowing some pouting would get him to open up. However, when she looked at him she saw a flicker in his eyes she's never seen before: a hint of sadness, maybe? The golden-haired beauty approached him and placed her right hand on his arm, squeezing it. "Something seems to be bothering you… You can tell me! You can tell me anything. In a week, we'll be married, Yuuya. We shouldn't keep things from each other."

Her words did nothing to reassure him and the real reason why he's been so out of it as of late. Yuuya looked at Mami, who only gave him a smile that encouraged him to talk. But she was right, and he knows he should stop being unfair to her. Although hesitant, he gathered up the strength to ask, "How badly do you want kids?"

She looked puzzled, but pondered thoughtfully on the question. "Well… I haven't thought about it, but since you brought it up," she began, completely oblivious to the worry on his face. "At least two kids!" she answered with a smile, entangling her fingers into his as she grabbed his hands. "I grew up as an only child and I didn't mind it because I usually get everything I want. But in hindsight, another sibling would have been nice."

"Two kids…" he repeated almost like a whisper.

"Or more," she added. "I don't really mind. We can have an entire brood. I assure you I will not lose my figure. I won't allow it!" she laughed out loud before looking at him with happy eyes. "What about you?"

He couldn't look at her. This was what he was afraid of. He shouldn't have proposed to her without finding out first! Yuuya mentally berated himself for not being responsible, and now he has to face the consequences. This was what he hated feeling the most, the feeling of disappointing her, of letting her down. And to think that he swore to her father that he will always make her happy and give her everything she wants. Now she wants kids.

"Yuuya!" she called, getting annoyed at his lack of responsiveness. "I said, what about you?"

"I…" he looked at her, gulping. "I… don't. I don't want to have kids."

He looked at her eyes and watched it change from happy to confused. It took her a while to process what he said. "I-I don't think I heard you right," she said, neither anger nor sadness in her tone, just utter confusion. "You don't want kids?"

Yuuya saw that her emotions were starting to mix, as he nodded slowly in response. "How could you – Why would – why are you only telling me this now?" she demanded, finally, anger catching up with her.

"I…" he tried to find an explanation would be near acceptable. "I didn't think about until now."

She let go of his arm and backed away, crossing her arms against her chest. "You only thought about it _now? _Why don't you want kids? You? You're so good with kids, you love playing with them! I see you with Yuri and I think, wow, that's how you'll be with _our_ child! What the hell is with this bullshit about not wanting kids?"

He was silent for a while, unable to look her in the eye. "I just don't want kids of my own. It's hard to raise a kid, I… I always saw myself as a career man." He lied.

"So what? You've always not wanted kids, is that it?" she said exasperatedly, placing her hands on her hips. "You can't be serious?"

She took his silence as an affirmative. "Why the hell are you only bringing this up _now?" _frustration evident on her voice. "Is this… Is this your way of telling me you don't want to push through with the wedding?"

Yuuya's eyes shot up. "What?" he exclaimed. "No! Of course not! No!" and before Mami could say anything, he continued, "I want to marry you, I love you!"

But there was something in Mami's eyes that Yuuya read so well that told him that some part of her doesn't believe him. He held her by her arms and he repeated, "I love you."

Mami released herself from his grip, "Let's talk about this later. We have dinner with our friends in the restaurant, we still have to take care of that."

Mami turned around and composed herself before looking for the pastry chef to give her decision.

Yuuya stood there, feeling like a big rock just fell on him. He wanted to hurt himself for hurting her. He wanted so much to have someone to blame for why he had to hurt her in the first place. But there was only himself, he thought.

* * *

When Tatsuki arrived, bringing a bottle of wine, he was greeted by Miyu with a nervous smile. She took the wine from him as he scanned the room. Ran, Yamato and Aya were by the window chatting, but they were accompanied by an blonde man whom he did not know. He was at least a couple more inches taller than Yamato, with broad shoulders and what seemed like a very fit body.

Miyu noticed him staring at the blonde man as she took the wine from him. "Aya's friend from the US," she explained his unaired question.

"_I said fry them for 10 minutes! Why is this burnt?"_ a female scream was heard from beyond the walls of the restaurant's dining room.

"Was that Mami?" asked Tatsuki as he took off his coat, and was about to approach the group along with Miyu.

"Yeah," she smiled meekly. "She's in a pretty bad mood. Again. But it seems worse today."

Ran dispatched herself from the group as Tatsuki and Miyu were closing in, explaining that she would check on Mami and Yuuya in the kitchen. When the pair arrived, Yamato offered Tatsuki a bottle of beer, which he happily accepted.

"You didn't bring Suzura?" asked Yamato.

Tatsuki shook his head, "She has a show today." On the quizzical looks of his friends, he added, "She's a theater actress, didn't I tell you? We met when after one of their shows, the cast and crew of their show had a celebratory dinner at our ramen place. After that she frequented the shop until we started talking."

"Aw, that's cute, Tatsuki," said Miyu with a smile. She was thankful Ran wasn't there to hear that story. After the former Super Gal told her what went down in the beach between the two of them during the beach trip, she knows that her friend was still deeply hurting. But at the same time, she had to be happy for Tatsuki who had also suffered a lot the past two years.

It was only then that they noticed a different blonde-haired man feeling a little out of place. Aya was the first to notice.

"Oh, how rude of me," she chastised herself. "Tatsuki, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Cody. He's from the US." It was only then that Tatsuki really noticed his strong jaw line with a little scruff that seemed intentionally grown, and a nicely trimmed cut of his blonde hair.

Cody held out a hand, "Nice to meet you, Tatsuki." Tatsuki likewise returned the greeting and the handshake, accompanied by a wide, mischievous grin. Aya gave him an eye, which Tatsuki ignored.

"Dinner's about to be served!" Mami came out of the kitchen, followed by Yuuya and Ran. She looked rather… neurotic. She had a wide smile plastered on her face that looked really off, which made the rest of the gang nervous. And it didn't help that Yuuya looked very frustrated. But it seemed like the married-couple-to-be set aside whatever their problem was to serve their friends dinner, so the gang individually thought to just ignore and go with it.

When they all sat down, Mami greeted Cody. "I hope you're enjoying your stay! Please, eat as much as you want, we prepared a lot for tonight."

Cody smiled nervously, "Thanks! Everyone we've met so far has been very accommodating. And I'm very excited to eat, actually. Congratulations, by the way! I heard from Aya that you two are getting married in a few days."

Mami gave a tightened smile and Yuuya just gave a slight nod to acknowledge.

The ring of a bell was heard and that meant someone had just arrived. As expected, Rei would be the last one to arrived, and holding his arm as they entered was Kaoru.

"Rei! You finally came! We can finally start with dinner," said Tatsuki, obviously not one to sink into the tension around the room. "Hello to you to, Kaoru!"

Kaoru smiled a hello while Rei just gave a curt nod as they took their seats opposite Aya and Cody. It was only when they sat down that Rei noticed the blonde-haired man in front of him, a blonde-haired man that was all-too familiar. He never saw his face, but he can tell who he was. He tightened up, something Kaoru noticed but did not ask about.

Rei turned to looked at Aya who only kept his gaze for a fraction of a second. And after which he turned to look back at the blonde in front of him. It was also the first time in two weeks that Rei and Aya saw each other. It wasn't like Aya wasn't ready to see him, but there was something about his stare today that was particularly disturbing her.

"Otohata-kun, Ishiki-san, this is Cody, a friend of mine while I was studying in the States," she introduced.

"Oh, so you're –" the American stopped midway when he felt an elbow his him on the side. "I mean, it's nice to meet the both of you."

Kaoru was the first one to return the greeting, "Hi, Cody-san."

"Please, just call me Cody. The honorifics here in Japan is not very familiar to me, I won't recognize my name!" he laughed affectionately.

Kaoru gave a chuckle, but Rei remained silent, taking a sip from the bottle of beer earlier placed in front of him by a waiter while the conversation was going on.

"Go on, everyone, start digging in," encouraged Yuuya who was really trying to avoid another awkward silence.

The group then started eating the feast prepared by the engaged couple. It could hardly be said, however, that nobody noticed the heavy air around. They have noticed that the hosts aren't really talking to each other, and that Mami kept taking sips of her wine. That Ran was trying to avoid any eye contact with Tatsuki, who was on the opposite side of the table from her. That Rei had been eyeing Aya and Cody, as Aya was being attendant to the food Cody was eating and as they chatted happily. That Kaoru was eyeing her boyfriend as he did so, feeling uncomfortable and left out.

"So, Cody," Yamato, who was sitting beside Rei, began. "Tell us more about you! Are you a doctor like Aya?"

Cody wiped his mouth with tissue before he answered. "Oh no, I'm not! I'm definitely not as smart as this girl, right here," he laughed. "I was an arts major. Now I work as a photographer. Actually, that's part of the reason we chose Japan, I wanted to take lots of pictures here since there's a lot of scenic locations."

"You guys should see his photographs, they're beautiful," smiled Aya.

"Oh don't believe her, she likes to compliment me even when it's not true."

"It's true!" she immediately responded.

Their little banter earned a mischievous grin from Tatsuki who couldn't help himself and said, "So did you two date while she was in the States?"

Upon hearing the question, Rei straightened up. He felt as though he already knew the answer, bringing himself back to that autumn day in a foreign country.

"Tatsukichi! What kind of question is that?" blushed Aya.

Cody just laughed it of endearingly. "I wish," he said, earning him a slap to the arm from Aya, to which earned her a shock from her friends.

"Just kidding!" Cody waived his hands in the air, as if surrendering. "No, no. I didn't date Aya. I am currently dating her former room mate though."

Tatsuki's eager smile suddenly turned into a frown.

"Actually, that's all thanks to this little girl here," he said affectionately, messing Aya's raven hair a little. "She encouraged me to pursue my girlfriend, who's half-Japanese by the way, when I thought I had no chance. She said, a lot of effort and sincerity goes a long way. She helped me win her room mate's heart," he said before turning to Aya, "to which I am completely and eternally grateful, by the way. She was the first one I went to when Sari agreed to go out with me."

Aya gave a warm smile. And after hearing that story, Tatsuki couldn't help but smile either. Even Mami, who seemed to be very disinterested in the whole dinner, had a slight curve on her lips.

"That's so sweet!" Miyu clapped her hands together.

Rei on the other hand, had surprise written all over his face, but it was only Kaoru who noticed since all the attention was still on the American. "Rei?" she whispered, shaking him a little. He snapped back to reality giving his girlfriend's hand a little squeeze.

"So Aya really never had a boyfriend back there?" Tatsuki asked, earning himself another glare from the raven-haired doctor. The rest of the gang, however, was evidently curious.

Cody shook his head. "She was perpetually unavailable there," he said, glancing at the brown-haired fellow in front of him who also caught his glance.

The bell of the door rang again. "Oh that must be her! Hold on a sec, guys," said Aya as she stood up and went to the door. When she came back, she had along with her a black-haired woman, a sure two-inches taller than Aya. She seemed a little hesitant to enter, feeling like she was intruding a party.

"Everyone, I want you to meet Sari!" Aya introduced. "She's my room mate and Cody's girlfriend."

There were random greetings from across the room, and the shy girl gave her hellos to each one until she took her seat beside Aya. Cody took his plate and moved one seat down so the two girls can stay beside each other.

"Oh my god!" shrieked Sari as she and Aya took their seats.

Shocked at the young woman's screech, all eyes were on her, including Rei's, who clearly was the object of Sari's current attention.

"What? What's wrong?" asked Aya.

"It's you!" she responded by pointing at Rei, pleasantly surprised. Rei, on the other hand, didn't react but instead took his gaze away from the lady.

"Yes, it's _him_. You don't have to point and shout, my dear," Cody whispered.

Sari shook her head, "No, that's not what I mean." They all looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused," said Mami, at the end of the table. "What's happening?"

"Aya," Sari turned to the raven-haired who was clearly out-of-words. "He's the guy!" Still, to the rest of the room, Aya included, she was not making sense. "I mean, remember when two years ago, around Fall, I told you there was a guy who dropped by in the apartment looking for you? That he was Japanese, but he didn't leave a name. The one in a bonnet and a thin layer of clothing considering the temperature that time of the year?"

Aya gave a slight not coupled with a look that urged her to continue.

"That's him!" Sari then turned to face Rei. "That was you," she said with a wide smile. All eyes were now redirected at Rei."I remember your eyes distinctly! But, dude, why didn't you leave your name? You left right after I told you she's probably in the campus. That's why I couldn't describe you to Aya, you had that scarf up to your mouth and that bonnet, so I couldn't describe you well. But you're here!"

"Wait," said Ran, utterly confused. "What? You're saying Rei went to the States?"

Sari nodded happily. "Yeah! Two years ago, like I said," she replied cheerily, unable to read the room. "Wow, who would have thought?"

The gang all looked at each other because evidently it was only Yuuya who knew that such thing ever happened. All the whispers made Rei a little uncomfortable but he stayed still. The only thing that made it unbearable was the fact that Aya was looking at him intently, and that he couldn't take his eyes off her as he tried to read her reaction. It seemed like forever, the silence between them, tuning out the room and just awaiting each other's first move. Kaoru shifter, holding his hand from under the table, but Rei barely noticed. He was sure that Ran and the others were already whispering to each other in surprise, but he didn't care.

"You…" she said, trying to find the right words, or at least figuring out which question to ask first, "were there." But it turned out more a statement than a question.

**End of Chapter**


	11. Chapter 11

Hello! First off, thank you to all who reviewed! It really boosted me to write faster so I can finish the story. With regard to this chapter, I tried to make the reactions of the characters to the events (of their own lives) as real as possible and I really hope I did that justice. That said, enjoy this chapter!

disclaimer: I don't own anything.

**Chapter 11: Aftermath**

The momentary revelation left everyone in surprise, except the two best friends who knew exactly what happened two years ago. And for a moment, no one spoke, because no one really knew what to say to a secret long held that could have changed the course of things had it been revealed a long time ago.

Aya stared at the brown eyes in front of her, unanswered questions filled her mind easily, but none could escape her mouth. And Rei just looked at her eyes, his eyes speaking the affirmative, and another look she couldn't identify. In her head she was already asking all those questions to him: why were you there? Why didn't you show yourself? Why didn't you tell me? But her trance broke when he pulled his gaze away from her, and only then did she realize that someone already tried to break the silence.

"Why don't we serve dessert now?" laughed Yuuya awkwardly as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. Mami followed suit.

Cody coughed, "Well then, babe, you should eat some dinner already."

Sari realized just what her revelation meant, and inwardly chided herself for being so crass about it. She looked at Aya apologetically. Aya shook her head and smiled, "Yeah, Sari! Have some of these, they taste heavenly!"

The rest of the gang trying to read the room followed the lead of trying to get some normalcy. Miyu chatted with Ran and Yamato about something random just to deviate the attention from Aya, while Tatsuki stood up to get a bottle of beer who was accompanied by Cody who really felt like he needed a some alcohol to get him through the awkwardness.

"I'll go out for some fresh air," whispered Rei to Kaoru as he quietly stood up. His girlfriend responded with a nod, noticing that his eyes were still stealing glances from the dark-haired lady in front of him who was consciously trying to ignore what just happened and focus on her guests. Kaoru stood up to take a seat beside Ran at the other end of the table finding she has no one to talk to.

When they were out of earshot, Sari whispered to Aya, "Oh my god, Aya! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make it awkward, I was just so surprised that that guy was here! And I didn't realize he was your 'Rei'!"

Aya simply gave a sincere smile to her frantic friend, "It's okay, Sar, really! And," she paused, "he's not _my_ 'Rei'."

Sari frowned, "from where I was looking, it didn't seem that way. There's so much tension between you two, it's so tangible!"

Aya shook her head. "It's not tension! It's just…" she tried to grasp the proper word, "… awkward."

"Because there's tension!" Sari said, almost a little louder than the whisper she intended.

"Geez, Sari! You're not yet even drunk and the things coming out of your mouth is already causing trouble!" joked the blonde American as he approached the girls with a beer. Tatsuki followed behind him.

"So, Aya-ppe," Tatsuki began. "You really didn't know that Rei went to the States?"

Aya shook her head, accompanied by a smile that begged no further questions. But before Tatsuki could even attempt to follow-up, a scream was heard from the kitchem.

* * *

"YOU LIED TO ME!" the heiress screamed, "AGAIN!"

Yuuya flung his arms upward in frustration, this conversation of theirs is going nowhere. His workers had long stopped finishing the dessert and tried to inch their way as far from their boss and his fiancée as possible, hoping they could pass through walls as they reached as far back as they could. The couple was long gone from keeping their argument hushed.

"I didn't lie!" argued Yuuya. "It wasn't my secret to tell! Don't you get it?"

"You seem to be in the habit of keeping secrets lately that a secret and a lie has become synonymous with you, hasn't it?" Mami spatted with evident harshness in her tone, her words piercing Yuuya, especially since he was hiding one more secret from her. "Just like that other secret you haven't told me."

Yuuya stood frozen, his mouth quickly shut just before he was about to respond. "What are you—"

"I know that you've been seeing a doctor lately, and after your confession this morning, I did some digging," she explained, her voice constrained and pained at the same time.

Finding his tongue, he was finally able to speak. "Mami, please let me explain."

"Explain what? How you kept something as important as _that_ from me. And then made up another lie to cover it? What? Were you going to marry me with that secret stashed somewhere, huh?" She hissed. "You keep _lying_ to me. Constantly."

Her words stung him so hard that his movements had momentarily become frozen. "Mami, it's not like that!" he managed to say, trying to make her listen to reason but she started walking out of the kitchen. He followed her as he continued to speak. "I didn't know how to tell you, okay? It's not easy! It's not easy to tell you something like that! MAMI!"

They were now in the presence of their friends, whose bodies were all still and confused. Rei went back inside after hearing the shouting that was happening and quickly caught on for he was the only one who knew Yuuya's secrets. Quickly, this dinner has turned into an emotional landmine, they realized.

She turned around to face him, her eyes tear-stricken. "Of course it's not easy! I know THAT! But you LIED to me to hide that fact." Yuuya knew that it was his mistake, that this morning wasn't his finest hour. "Just how long were you going to lie to me, huh? Right before our wedding, or were you planning on going through the wedding without telling me? Tell me!" she demanded. "Just tell me something! Something to explain why you did this, something more than 'it was hard' because honestly, it's getting harder and harder to want to marry you by the second."

Yuuya couldn't answer.

"You weren't planning on telling me," she realized, a painful laugh escaping her. She placed both her hands on her face and it was as if her legs were about to give way when she felt his hands on her shoulders.

"Mami…" he said softly.

"Mami," Miyu was about to go to Mami's side but Yamato held her wrist down, shaking his head. Miyu looked at Ran, who was glued to her seat in shock and also resisting approaching the two.

Mami swatted his arms away leaving him shocked at her rejection. "You wanted us to start a lifelong commitment like this?" she was not shouting anymore. But her word were pained. "You were about to promise at the altar for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, and you were going to keep that secret from me?"

"Mami, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know what else to do!" he said, loudly and exasperatedly this time.

"You should have told me the truth! We could have – "

"I told you it wasn't easy! It's not like I can just walk up to you and tell you that I can't give you what you want!" He shouted in frustration, louder than how he wanted it to come out. "Why can't you understand that?"

"Well then if you're having a hard time then let's just call off the wedding!" she shouted in response just as quickly before she can even process what she said.

At her sudden words he was hurt. "FINE." That was not the reply she wanted.

"Guys!" Ran tried to interrupt. "Come on, let's think this through."

"Yeah," Miyu stood up. "Calm down first, you two. Let's not be rash!"

Mami and Yuuya stared at each other as their friends talked, tears threatening to fall in both their eyes, yet there was this evident hurt that each one wanted to inflict at the other. It was Mami who first broke off the stare to face her friends, completely ignoring their words.

"The wedding's off." Her voice was stern and sure. She took off the engagement ring on her finger and placed on the table with much resentment and stormed out of the restaurant.

The gang just looked at each other, surprised at the sudden turn of events before Ran got up and chased after her. Tatsuki tried to approach Yuuya but Rei stopped him. And then she came back after a few minutes saying that she has already drove off to God knows where and she wouldn't answer her phone. Yuuya had is fists clenched and his body was so stiff that nobody dared approach him. But it was Rei who tried to call his name first so that they could get a reaction off of him.

"Yuuya! Mami left! What are you going to do?"

He didn't know. But he was so angry! He was angry at her for not letting him explain fully, and he was angry at God for making him infertile. But he was angriest with himself for hurting the person he loves the most in the entire world and for letting his relationship crumble before his eyes. And in a fit of rage he grabbed the bottle of wine he took out earlier.

"Yuuya," Aya tried to say. But he already raised the bottle over his head and threw it straight to the wall narrowly missing the glass window of his restaurant door. The sound of the bottle hitting the wall and shattering into hundreds of pieces frightened the girls in the room as they shut their eyes. Yuuya breathed heavily as he stared at the big purplish stain on his cream wall drip like raindrops on a windowpane before he fell to his knees and covering his face with his hands.

* * *

It was the day after that disastrous dinner and Miyu's calls were still unanswered by their heiress friend. At least they knew she was home (thanks to the butler informing them), even though she locked herself up to everyone, even her parents. But knowing that she wasn't off some place alone and unknown made her a little relieved. She recalled last night's events with a shudder, first with the revelation that Rei actually went to the States to see Aya and second, the biggest fight of the year and what might be another wedding cancelled.

She wondered how Yuuya was too, but the boys took care of him. He spoke no word to any of them after he broke down. Her husband, Rei and Tatsuki told everyone else to leave Yuuya to them and to go home and rest. They followed the boys orders (except for Aya who took her friends out to enjoy after that very unexpected turn of events). As far as Miyu was able to gather from Yamato, Yuuya drank beer all night until he passed out and Rei brought him home.

Miyu browsed through the array of books on the multi-level racks in a random aisle in the local bookstore. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, just anything interesting and that would spark an idea for her class of seven to eight year olds, half of whom she was sure was a case of ADHD. The teacher once thought of making a short class play to teach her students history when she saw a how-to book on making costumes. Miyu thought it would be good for her to gather some new inspiration, after all, she prided herself with being students' favorite for her fun and interactive teaching style.

Really, she needed this after last night's events at Yuuya's restaurant. So here she was, finding her relaxation in reading books. She inwardly laughed when she remembered how back in high school she would only visit a bookstore to read on the latest fashion and gossip magazines. Oh, how they've all grown up, she thought.

Miyu's train of thought, however, was briefly interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found herself face-to-face with a certain blond man with spiky hair and tan skin.

"Hey, Miyu!" he greeted with a smile that went from ear to ear. "Fancy bumping into you here."

"Tatsukichi! Hi!" she greeted back with a warm smile. "What are you doing here?"

He held up a thick, hard-bound book, with a picture of a man, whose identity she was clueless to, in a white coat and a chef's hat, arms-crossed against his chest and a kitchen laid out in front of his with various utensils and tools for cooking. Tatsuki grinned, "Doing some research."

When they finished purchasing their respective books, they agreed to go have a bite somewhere nearby so they can continue chatting. Apparently, Tatsuki has been trying out some new dishes to incorporate into their menu and was thinking of infusing some classic Japanese dishes with other cuisines to give their restaurant an edge. Of course, everything was just in the process of being tried out, and he's been checking recipe books to see what works and what doesn't and to learn other cuisines. He said his dad was not that open to the idea at first but since the blond man was the reason for the expansion of their once-little shop his father agreed to give it a chance as long as he produce some good dishes that pass his standards.

"Wow!" Miyu exclaimed. They both decided not to talk about last night's events, both being exhausted from it. "That sounds really exciting!"

Tatsuki grinned, "Yeah! I'm really glad to be doing this. It's something new and fresh, and I'm just so full of ideas that I don't remember the last time I've been this inspired to do something new!"

Miyu took a bite of her parfait before saying, "I'm so happy for you! I'm so proud of you for going out of your comfort zone."

He blushed at the compliment, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks, Miyu. That means a lot. Actually, I have always been contented with safe, and I always thought preserving what my family built was the goal. But I realized that it can be preserved even though things change, and that our shop can ride along with that change. But of course, I'll have to make it work," Tatsuki made a shy laugh. "Actually it was Suzuru who came up with the idea."

Miyu suddenly tensed up at the mention of her name. "Tatsukichi, are you two getting serious?" she asked out of the blue

Tatsuki looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean your feelings for her, are they serious?"

"I can't really say, Miyu, it's not like we've been going out for a long time," he answered, giving it a thought. "But I do really like her."

"Don't you think," she paused before continuing. "Ran,"

Tatsuki looked at Miyu rather annoyed at the sudden bring up of her name. "What about her?"

"She was quite hurt when you brought Suzuru—"

"Ran and I have been over for years now," he reasoned. "I shouldn't need to be walking around eggshells around her anymore."

Miyu could sense the tension building up. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Tatsukichi, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not saying you shouldn't have brought Suzuru, of course not!" Tatsuki's face softened at her explanation. "I just mean that you're starting a new relationship now but there are still unresolved feelings and issues between you and Ran."

"It's still hard for me," the blond man began. "Please understand, Miyu, that I didn't hold back my forgiveness just for the sake of being mean. I can't say I forgive her just for her sake either. I'd want to mean it when I do."

"I know. And that's fair. But I know that you know that Ran still has feelings for you, and she still hopes that things can be fixed."

Tatsuki broke away from her gaze, transferring his stare to his half-finished iced tea.

"Tatsukichi, if there's really no hope for you guys then give yourselves the closure you need. Forgive her so both of you can move on properly," she said, extending her hand to hold his. "But if there's even a possibility of you two working things out then please stop punishing her. She has suffered enough."

Tatsuki did not reply. Miyu only hoped that her two friends would finally put two years of hurt to rest and move on.

* * *

Aya was scrolling through her phone with her thumb, brushing past pictures of various dishes whose recipes piqued her interest. She tried to look at the ingredients and thought immediately that she could get them in the grocery store near her apartment complex. Her free hand played with the tuna pesto pasta in front of her with her fork. She just came from an eventful late night with her friends to shift at the hospital and was having her lunch at her favorite café since she remembered that there is nothing in her refrigerator remotely edible for breakfast.

She twirled the pasta with her fork, her gaze still focused on the seafood marinara recipe on her phone, before feeding it to herself. The dark-haired intern quietly thought that she needed a hobby, something to do other than read medical books and journals on her free time, something to put her unused energy on.

"Is this seat taken?" a deep voice asked. It took her a while to process that the voice was referring to the seat in front of hers (despite the evident abundance of free seats and tables in the café, she thought). Taking her gaze away from her phone, she looked up and was met with chocolate-brown eyes. She shook her head subconsciously and Rei sat down, a cup of coffee in tow.

It was quiet for a while between them, so many questions running through her head. From what happened between Mami and Yuuya last night to taking her friends out to see some nightlife in Japan and then straight to her hospital shift, she realized she barely even had time to think about, let alone process, the revelation that last night brought. And it's not like she wanted to talk to him right away, she didn't even know where to begin and what to say, or where to even begin with the questions she had when Sari instantly spilled the beans. Or maybe she just shouldn't find out. After all, she's finally set on her "moving on" stage, this will just set her a lot of paces back.

What was she expecting from him anyway? The probabilities scared her. If he was to say the right words, she might just be convinced that she shouldn't move on from him and that he was the love of his life waiting to happen. Or his reasons could disappoint her, hurt her even more, realizing just how many years she wasted pining over him.

And to top it all, he had Kaoru. And as a girl, she didn't want to intentionally take someone important away just to be selfish, she could never sleep with that weight on her. Aya did not want to be one of those people who wrecked relationships, if was just bad karma altogether. But more importantly, she did not want to keep waiting for him, especially if there is no guarantee that he will come back to her, even if that was all she ever wanted. _Before_, she added in her thoughts.

"About last night," he said, finally breaking the icy silence as he looked at her. He stares still able to bring shivers down her spine.

"I just have two questions," she interrupted, wanting to be the one to control the situation. She decided that there was only certain things she needed to know, and that she didn't want the full story.

Rei nodded, his expression calm and collected, agreeing to her terms.

"Why..." she tried to form the right words, closing her mouth again, looking him straight in the eyes, as she fiddled with her fingers below the table. "Is it true? That you went _there_?"

Rei looked at her, his expression unreadable, yet his eyes were still enchanting as ever. He took a moment to form his answer in his head, but the longer he took to answer, the more anxious Aya got.

He nodded, his eyes fixated on her.

Knowing he wouldn't elaborate unless she asked, she simply continued. "My second question is, why? I mean, why didn't you show yourself to me?"

There it was. The question he didn't want to answer yet knew he inevitably had to face. And he had no real acceptable answer for it, for he knew that his reasons were no longer justified. That it was _his_ mistake all along. That if he only waited a little longer, if he only took a few more steps forward and talked to her himself then maybe, just maybe…

"I… I couldn't," he said.

"Couldn't what?"

"I couldn't do it. Go to you, I couldn't do it. And I have not one reason that could possibly be acceptable to you, except simply that I was afraid."

His answer had taken her aback. "Afraid of what?"

He can see something in her eyes and wondered what it was. The ice king was now afraid that tears would fall again, and know that it continues to be his fault.

He shrugged. "Afraid of what I can't commit to you."

"I don't—"

"I knew what it would mean to you if I showed up there. I knew that it was one big gesture of love, and to you that would be a promise, any sort of promise, that would come from me," he said, and for the first time in this conversation he took his eyes off her and stared out the window. "I saw you that day and I realized that I don't think I can promise you anything I can hold."

"I never asked you to promise me anything, remember? That's why we broke things up when I left," she said, able to hold her tears back and keep her feelings in place.

He looked at her, his eyes softer than she had ever seen them since she got back. "You're right. But I know you, Aya. You're the type of girl who hopes and endures whatever hurt comes your way. And I… I couldn't give you any more hope only to hurt you in the end."

"You couldn't have known that," she said, her tone with a hint of pleading.

"Oh, but I know me. I know that I would have disappointed you then, and that you would get hurt and I couldn't… I couldn't do that anymore," she looked at him, with sadness in her eyes. But the tears didn't fall, to his surprise, but he read something else.

Instead, she smiled, a sorrowful smile that was all too familiar. "I guess even then you still couldn't fight for me."

He looked at her in silence. Rei always knew that she was beautiful, with her long black hair, her big expressive eyes that smiled along with her own smile, a smile he considered to have brighten up his day from time to time. All of these things he would never admit to anyone out loud. And he looked at this beauty who told him the reality: that he was a coward who couldn't fight for the girl he loved no matter how many chances he gave her. And he was ashamed.

Rei nodded, "You're right, I couldn't. I'm sorry." She was surprised to hear him apologized, he could see that. But she smiled, a genuine smile but it showed resigned acceptance. They sat there for a little while longer, in silence, but their eyes were locked with each other. It was a connection that neither one of them wanted to break, _not yet_, they thought, they just weren't ready to let reality sink in. Engrossed in their connection they didn't notice someone approach their table.

"Hey there," the light-brown haired girl said. "Hope I'm not interrupting something."

The two broke stare and turned to the source of the voice. "H-hey, Kaoru," Aya greeted nervously. Has she been there long? Aya barely noticed.

"Oh hey," Rei greeted. "I thought we were going to meet back in the firm?"

Kaoru gestured to the seat between them, on one side of the square table, to which Aya nodded, "P-please."

"I decided to drop by when you'd have lunch here so I can join you," Kaoru smiled, a little strained, Aya noticed. "Am I intruding?"

Aya gave her a smile, replying "No. Not at all."

"Oh," Kaoru said. "It's good that you guys are finally catching up."

Aya looked at Rei, finding the situation awkward, even though she knows she's not doing anything wrong. The eyes that were earlier fixed on her now were fixed on the cup of coffee Rei wasn't able to finish while they were conversing. He seemed a little irritated but she couldn't be sure.

"Yeah," she said, taking a desperate look on her wristwatch. "But I think I'll have to go now. I just came here for my lunch break but I should go back soon or the residents will kill me," Aya stood up grabbing her bag and a coat that was hanging on her chair.

"Oh, going already?" Kaoru asked.

Aya nodded and smiled politely, "Goodbye."

It was only then that Rei raised his eyes but only caught a sight of her back as it retreated from him. _He was letting her go_, he thought, _again_, even though all his insides were telling him not to.

* * *

The driveway was wide, clearly meant for two lanes, and it led up to a rotunda with a huge fountain in the middle that was lit up since the night had already arrived. On either side of the driveway was a huge patch of grass with trees around the gated estate, and this patch led all the way back to the yard which was even wider that what was in front of the house. That was where they were going to hold their reception, Yuuya thought, as he drove past the rotunda and to the main entrance of the Honda mansion.

No matter how many times he had been to this place, he never fully got used to huge estate and the lifestyle that Honda Mami grew up in. This has always been a subject of his insecurity, the nagging question of whether he could give Mami what she was always so used to getting. Yet whenever his insecurity hits him, it always seemed that Mami would reassure him that she loved him, and that was enough, that his sincere love for her was always going to be enough. But as much as he believed her words, that she would love him no matter what, at the back of his head he always knew that there was going to be something about him that wasn't _enough_.

When he reached the ten feet grand door that was the main entrance, a valet took his car and he was greeted by the butler. "Ms. Mami will be down shortly, Mr. Yuuya. She requests that you wait for her in the living room."

He nodded and went to the living room, already familiar with the place despite the assistance of the butler. Ever since the night before, he had regretted the words they exchanged and the night ended with the threat of not pushing through with the wedding. Yuuya had called his fiancée many times this afternoon, after he had finally gotten rid of the headache that was the result of the heavy drinking the night before, insisting that they talk through this and apologized so many time for the things he had said and the things he had done. It wasn't until the 14th call that Mami had picked up and agreed to talk to him at her house.

After what felt like waiting forever, she finally came down the spiral staircase, dressed in a long, simple dress that reached the floor. But what was more noticeable that her aristocratic-like descent was the swollen eyes and the red, irritated nose that marked her face. She didn't even try to hide it with make-up.

"Mami," Yuuya said softly when she was finally close enough. Quickly, he hugged her, tightly, breathing in the scent of her. He was so scared that after last night, they might not get over this fight.

But she didn't return the hug, and he noticed, so he let released her from the hug and they both sat down on the coach. He took her hand and held it tightly. Mami didn't resist.

"Mami, I'm so sorry, so so sorry, I love you," said Yuuya, his voice weak and pleading. "The things I said last night about the wedding, I didn't mean them, I –"

"Yuuya," she cut him off. "I… I already cancelled the wedding."

Yuuya was about to say something but closed his mouth instantly at her sudden words. His eyes grew with surprise and his felt his heart sink.

"W-why? Mami, you don't have to do that, I lo–"

"But I do," she said, this time looking at his eyes while hers were starting to fill up with tears.

She looked at him with eyes that said that she was hurting too. He looked at her, tears starting to fall from his face, or at least that's what it felt like. Yuuya loosened the grip he had on her hand, feeling like a block of cement had fallen on top of him. There were words that he wanted to say, but his tongue remained frozen as he watched he shake her head in sadness when she covered her face with her hands.

**End of Chapter**

Woohoo. Finished that one. So what did you guys think?

One more thing, I think that one of the couples (Aya/Rei, Mami/Yuuya and Ran/Tatsuki) should not have a happy ending (together). Actually, as to which, I already have an idea. But who knows. Anyway, leave a review, they will be much loved!


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, again! It's been a while, I've been really busy lately so it took me a while longer than I had hope to write this chapter. I wanted the events that happened after to be as realistic as possible. And some of you have expressed your concerns over which couple will not have a happy ending, but I really don't want to say which one until the end (or near the end) so bear with me!**

**Chapter 12: Lunches**

It's been a month since The Wedding That Didn't Happen and the gang tried to go back to normalcy as best they could, and for some it was much harder than for others.

Mami took off to another country, but none knows where, the morning after she had spoken to Yuuya. All they know was that she needed time to think things through. By "time" she only meant a few days, maybe a week, but it's been a month and she hasn't come back and no word as to her whereabouts had reached the group, not even Yuuya.

But since his friends could do no more than be there for him, even they felt a little helpless regarding the young blonde's situation. Yuuya, on the other hand, kept working all day, and drinking all night. While Rei and the others thought that he would get better as time goes by, that slowly he would pick himself up again, instead it has become a rather troublesome routine for them. While he didn't get into much trouble, and while he still managed to keep his business running, they knew how dangerously unhealthy their friend was becoming.

Ran, who at one point in their younger years had an influential hold on the blonde, once tried to talk him into his senses, only to be ignored, much to the Super Gal's annoyance. Instead, she was on the receiving end of very hollow eyes and drunken words.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that idiot!" she exclaimed, venting her frustrations on her two companions sitting across her. They were at Miyu's living room having lunch on this particular day. "And don't get me started on Mami."

"Ran, calm down," ushered Aya. "It's been a month. I think that at this point we should let it be, because honestly, there's not much we can do."

Miyu sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I'm starting to think this group has a bad luck when it comes to weddings."

Ran gulped, but tried to remain unfazed by the comment. "That's not true," she said. "Yours worked out fine."

"33% is not a good success rate, you know?" Miyu said sadly, sighing again.

It was quiet for a while until Ran spoke once again. "Anyway," she said, brushing off the earlier conversation. "I have something to tell you guys."

The two girls turned their attention to the corn-haired one who had a hint of reluctance in her voice. She coughed a little before continuing, "Tatsukichi called me, he asked if we could meet up for lunch sometime this week." Her friends reacted with surprise, but the policewoman was unsure if their reaction was that of delight or not. "He didn't say why though," she followed when they didn't say anything, "but I said yes, at least I think it's a good sign… that he wanted to talk."

But the look on her face gave her away. There was uncertainty written all over her face, and her last statement was more a question that needed Aya's and Miyu's opinion.

Miyu and Aya looked at each other before returning their attention to Ran. "It's a good thing," said Aya with a reassuring smile. "If he finally wants to talk then it must mean he's ready to forgive."

Ran gave a weak smile, looking down at her arms. "Maybe, I'm not sure. But whether he is or he isn't, I'm just glad he's now willing to even talk to me," she said coolly. But her insides tell her that she hopes this is the first step to mending their broken friendship, or even more. Although she doesn't want to put her hopes up, she couldn't help it since this is the first positive sign she got from Tatsuki since _that_ time.

"I'm happy for you, Ran," said Miyu, recalling the conversation she had with the chef.

"Thanks," she smiled nervously. Ran, being the confident gal that she is, wasn't one to get nervous, at least not on most things, and especially not with regard to Tatsuki. Tatsuki was her comfort zone, he always had been, such that even though her she didn't go through with marrying him, she had always felt that his love for her was so strong and unwavering. But that confidence started to shatter when she realized how much she hurt him and how cold he became after it. Her future with him only became all the more unclear when he introduced a new girlfriend.

Deciding to shift the conversation, Ran inquired on Aya. "Aya, how did your first date with that doctor go?"

Aya turned into a bright shade of pink at the sudden juncture. "Um, it was fine."

"Only?" Miyu made a pouting face at the very small amount of details their raven-haired friend was sharing. "Come on, Aya. Share!"

Aya felt like she was back in high school having some sleep over conversation. This was also how it felt like the time she told them a few days ago that a doctor at her hospital, a resident, had asked her out for dinner. And yet, even now at 24, she was still turning red at questions like these.

"Nothing much. We had dinner, we shared stories, he brought me home and then we saw each other at the hospital the next day," said Aya in a speed faster than her normal talk.

"Yeah, but how was he? What's your take on him?" Miyu prodded further, causing Ran, who was slouched back to lean in.

"He's…" she considered her answer. "Nice. And charming, and smart," she continued, a shy smile forming on her face.

"Oh, Aya, I hope this works out. You should give this one a chance," said Miyu, clasping her hands for emphasis.

Ran nodded in agreement. "He seems like he could be good for you Aya! And next time, show a picture! I want to know if he's as cute as he sounds!" grinned Ran, which only made the doctor blush some more.

* * *

"Hmm," a deep voice contemplated. "I'll have the clam chowder and the beef stroganoff please." They were in a restaurant in the mall nearest to the hospital. It was a strategic choice, yet one that came highly recommended.

The dark-haired lady on the opposite side, on the other hand, was seemingly still studying her options with attention. She looked at each item on the main course but she couldn't decide whether to go for beef, pork, or fish. Then she thought maybe should just go with her usual pasta.

"Their cordon bleu is amazing," suggested the auburn-haired man with a sweet smile to accompany it. The lady peered up from the menu, sporting a confused look but quickly recovering her senses.

"Oh," she said. "Yes, that sounds nice. I think I'll get that and a Caesar's salad please." The waiter wrote down their orders and took the menus as he left.

"Are you okay, Aya?" the man asked at her obvious nervousness and discomfort evidenced by the constant fixing of her hair and glances at the other tables.

Surprised, she gave a nervous laugh. "Truth?" She decided that she might as well just tell him what's really going on inside her head, especially because she was not masking her nerves well anyway. "I'm actually quite nervous. Almost just as nervous as the time we had dinner."

He gave a light chuckle. "Why would you have to be nervous? I'm the one who's surprised you agreed to a second date. I'm not sure I made a very good impression the last time."

She raised an eyebrow. "No, that was still probably me, Shin," recalling the dinner and how she could barely make any coherent statement, often dipping the mood of the conversation. "I think between the two of us, I was the one who didn't make a good first impression."

"Not true," he said raising the bridge of his rectangular-rimmed glasses. "You were very beautiful that night."

His deep voice sounded so sincere and his eyes looked at her like she hasn't been looked at in a while that she couldn't help the blush creeping up her cheeks. It's only really at this moment that she appreciated his well-defined features and sharp jawline. His reddish hair was spiked up and messier than usual, deviating from his usual look of being groomed strategically to the side, giving a very clean and dignified look, appropriate for a doctor. Yet he had that crooked smile, which tells you he can be mischievous at times, and optimism that paralleled Tatsuki's that adds to his charm.

"But if you don't mind me asking, why are you so nervous anyway?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. "Someone as beautiful as you must get used to being asked out."

And not to mention the shameless flattery.

Aya considered for a moment. The sincerity in his face did attract honesty. "I haven't been out on a first date in a while," she looked down at her hands. "A long, long while, actually," she added. "So I haven't really had much practice. I don't know any more how to act, what to say. Actually, I was never really good at first dates to begin with."

"Ah," he said thoughtfully. "You've just gotten out of a long term relationship?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, reading her as if she was an open book.

She gave a hollow chuckle, brushing strands of loose hair behind her ear. "You could say that."

"Well then, you are not to fret!" said Shin in a cheeky yet endearing boyish smile. "I'm no expert in first dates either, so we can both be awkward and embarrassing together and, hopefully, cancel each other out. What say you?"

Aya laughed. "Are you sure? I'm a whole lot of baggage, you know," she said, the last part in a solemn tone that she couldn't help.

He waived his hand in the air as if clearing it of her words. "Who isn't? I mean, I have the whole father-complex, the got-bullied-at-school-issue, got-cheated-on drama, the questioning-my-sexuality phase, a quarter-life-crisis and what have you."

This made her laugh even more, genuinely. "See, you're prettier when you laugh," he said, making her blush once again. "And you should get used to many compliments with me, I'm like a complimenting machine."

After letting the laughter settle in, she smiled at him. "Thanks, Shin."

"Oh, don't thank me yet. I might be adorable, but people have often said that I can only be taken in small doses," he said cheekily. "Don't worry though, for you, I'll try my utter best."

The waiter soon came in with their orders, and Aya realized that she was no longer nervous nor fidgety. For the first time in four years, she could now say that she'll be able to move on.

* * *

Miyu watched the numbers above the doors of the elevator change in an increasing manner as she held a pot of what she considered a very flavorful soup that made her hungry despite just having eaten lunch. Beside her was her husband who was off-duty that lunchtime, so the two decided to pay Yuuya a visit in his restaurant. But it was just when they got to the restaurant that the staff of the young blonde said that their boss was not coming to work today because he was not feeling well. Not one to be deterred by such set-back, Miyu insisted that they go to Yuuya's apartment, Yamato agreed on the condition that they eat first and just bring Yuuya some food upon their visit.

They reached the 6th floor and walked to the door of Yuuya's apartment. Yamato pressed the doorbell but there was no response, so he pressed once more. The couple could hear grumbling noises coming from inside and figured that Yuuya was coming for the door. When the door was opened, they were greeted by groggy eyes wrapped around in a blue blanket as if it were a hooded cape.

It was the stench that immediately reached the noses of Yamato and Miyu, and it reeked of beer and left over food (and a very high probability that the owner of the apartment had not bathed in a while).

"What do you want?" Yuuya asked grumpily.

Miyu frowned. "Is that the way you greet your friends who came bearing gifts?" she asked, holding the pot of soup, which aroma nicely counteracted the stench that was the apartment.

"It looks like you haven't had lunch yet, anyway," smiled Yamato. "Or breakfast for that matter."

Yuuya stepped aside grudgingly, signaling them to come in. "Any chance you have some disinfectant spray?" Miyu asked as she passed by, causing Yuuya to roll his eyes.

The former number two settled himself in his couch, which looked very much like a make shift bed at that point, while Miyu went to the kitchen to prepare some lunch and soup for the sickly Yuuya and in the process trying to look for some Lysol. Yamato, on the other hand, cleared the table in the living room and dining room of the various messes which consisted of beer bottles, empty plastic noodle cups, plates, glasses, and a box of pizza.

"You look horrible," Yamato remarked as he cleared the table.

"Only a reflection of how I feel," Yuuya retorted. "And that doesn't even do it justice."

"Well, you'll feel better after eating this soup," Miyu said positively. "Which, I may add, was prepared by your very concerned staff."

"Don't buy into their concern. They just want a raise." Miyu ignored the joke as she transferred the soup into a pot and heated it with the stove. While she waited, Miyu, overtaken by her wifely instincts, started cleaning anything and everything remotely dirty around the kitchen.

"Oh, and don't throw away the pizza, I can still reheat that," Yuuya called over to Yamato who was holding a plate of uneaten pizza. The policeman just threw him a look of disgust. "What? It's still food."

"Well, we're going to feed you real food now," said Miyu.

Once she was done, she poured a portion of the soup in a bowl and placed it in a tray to give to Yuuya who was lying down on the couch, his head resting on one of the arms, and his hand placed over his eyes. "Here, Yuuya. Drink it and afterwards I'll get your medicine," Miyu placed the tray on the table in front of the couch.

Yuuya groaned while he groggily got up from the couch. Miyu took her seat beside him in order that she may assist him if he needed while Yamato took to the arm chair. Yuuya slowly took a spoonful, blowing the soup a little before taking it in. The hot soup prickled his tongue, but he didn't mind.

"Why did you guys come over anyway?" he asked after taken a second spoonful. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate them coming over, but he wasn't really in the mood to have guests over. He especially didn't want Miyu over knowing she would just burst into overprotective concern, but that was probably what drove her to visit him in the first place.

"We wanted to have lunch with you, but then we found out you were sick–,"

"So we came here instead!" Miyu interrupted her husband. "And rightly so, otherwise you would have starved to death."

Yuuya snorted. "Doesn't sound like a bad proposition right now."

"Yuuya!" Miyu exclaimed, alarmed.

Yuuya just waived his right hand, dismissing her concern. "I was joking, Miyu." He leaned back on the coach, closing his eyes shut.

"That wasn't very nice," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't joke about things like those. And you shouldn't be doing this to yourself either! Look at this place, and look at you! You're… a mess, Yuuya," she said, her voice concerned and sad. "Mami wouldn't –,"

Yuuya shot up and glared at her. "Don't you dare talk about what Mami would and wouldn't do!" Miyu was shocked, her hand pulled away from his shoulder. "Because I thought she wouldn't leave me, but she did! And if I'm a mess, that's none of your business! So if you're just here to berate me and judge me for how I choose to be after my fiancée left me then just leave me alone!"

"Yuuya!" exclaimed Yamato, who stood up in reaction to the harsh words his wife was receiving. Yuuya looked at Yamato with his own share of surprise. "I know you're hurt and upset about everything that has happened to you this past month. But that doesn't give you a right to shout at my wife."

Yuuya was about to say something but closed his mouth just as quickly, realizing his actions. Miyu stood up and held Yamato's arm, a gesture that asked him to let it go, but he didn't. "We're your friend, so we worry. That's our job. If you resent us for it, it's fine, but it doesn't give you authority to be rude and harsh to people who just want to see you be okay, who don't want you to get sick," the older man said. "And Miyu's right. You can't just lie here all day because you think you're entitled to because Mami left you. It's been one month, Yuuya! Get your shit together because even if she does return, do you think she'd return to the Yuuya right in front of me?"

"Stop it." Yuuya glared at him.

"You're miserable—,"

"I said, stop it."

"Pathetic—,"

"STOP!"

"Unbearable!"

"Yamato, stop!" begged Miyu. Yuuya buried his face in his palms, his fingers tugging at his disheveled hair.

"No!" he responded sternly. "He needs to hear it, Miyu. We can't keep waling around eggshells to try not to hurt him. He's hurting already so now he needs to face the world again. We've let him wallow in his misery long enough. Get your shit together, Yuuya."

"_Just leave!"_ he screamed in frustration. Yamato understood his frustrations and his anger, and he knew that he said everything that needed to be heard so he and Miyu left the apartment and the hurting almost-groom-to-be to reflect on his own.

* * *

"Would you like to order?" asked the waiter.

Ran looked up at him. "In a few minutes, if that's okay. I'm still waiting for my… friend," she said with hesitance. The waiter folded the menu, groaning under his breath. It figures that he was a little annoyed. It was lunch time and the influx of customers in this restaurant was crazy, so she supposed that having to wait for a table of two who was taking particularly long was no delight. Although she believed that in the service industry, one should have more patience than what that waiter had. And ordinarily she would have something to say about it, but not today, because today—

"Hi, sorry I'm late." Her thoughts were interrupted by that all-to-familiar voice she's known for so long. Tatsuki took to his chair opposite Ran's and sat down.

"It's fine, I wasn't here that long." That wasn't entirely true. The super gal, who once had no notion of time, did not want to be late, not for this day that had her wondering all night and as a result barely getting any sleep.

Tatsuki signaled for the waiter, the one who was just about to take Ran's order a minute ago. The waiter grudgingly went back to their table, although the two paid no attention to his rather discourteous disposition. "I'll have the lemon chicken and a glass of iced tea." He looked to the waiter to return the menu when he noticed that Ran was still looking at him. "What about you, Ran?"

It took a couple of more seconds before she could respond. "Oh, right," she said, rather nervously. "Um, I'll have the Italian meatball pasta, please. And just water."

The waiter left with their orders and the menus, leaving the two in a minute of awkward silence. Ran contemplated for a while on how there was never any dull silence in their dates in the past, and her mouth could run like a motor and he'd just laugh at anything she says because that's just how they are. But now it's like almost anything uttered could be taboo, and she didn't want him to run away, not today.

"So," she started, hesitantly. "How have you… how are you, Tatsuki?"

He noticed the stuttering, and the effort not to use his nickname that she dubbed him, but he was generous enough not to point it out. "I'm good," he said simply, with a small smile, which she mirrored. "I've been a little busy, with the business picking up some speed, but good." He added, "How about you?"

"Everything's fine, on the work front." She could feel the conversation dwindling, but she didn't really know what other topics aren't off limits. "And so glad to here your business is doing well."

He smiled, something she hasn't seen for a long time. "Thanks," and it wasn't long before some complementary soup came, easing their way back into silence. Not long after was their orders, served by the same waiter who seems to have had his mood uplifted in between the taking of the order and the service of the food. The mostly ate in silence, once in a while complementing the food, and it wasn't like neither of them noticed, in fact they noticed it too much.

They finished their main course and the empty plates were taken out of their way when they ordered some dessert. "Tatsuki," she finally said. "Why did you… why did you call me for lunch? I mean, not that I didn't want to, I'm just surprised, is all."

He looked at her in surprise at the sudden question, but it wasn't like he could avoid the topic for long.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just thought," he said, nerves in his voice apparent. "I thought that it was about time that we talk."

She didn't respond.

"I'm sorry," he said. At his words, she felt her chest grow but she couldn't quite name the feeling. She was confused, and surprised, pleasantly.

"Sorry for what?"

"For what I said, remember? In the beach, nearly two months ago," he reminded. She remembered glimpses of the incident with a little pang in her heart, but she ignored it. "What I said, they were hurtful. And, I just… I just want to fix things between us now."

Her eyes grew wide, her heart was beating faster, and her tongue remained frozen as she still processed his words.

"I mean, I'm in a good place now with everything going on in my life. I've grown these past two years, and honestly, two years have just been too long," he gave a chuckle on the last part, scratching the back of his head like a nervous habit. "Two year is just too long to hold so much pain and anger inside."

"Tatsuki," she was able to mutter quietly.

"And if I'm being honest with myself, I don't even know anymore why I was still holding everything in. It wasn't fair to you, even to myself," he said, this time he removed his gaze from her eyes that was transfixed on his. "I was so mad, so angry, at you, at the world, most especially at me, because I didn't know what I did wrong, or what went wrong and how we didn't make it."

"It wasn't your fault," she managed to say, trying to hold back the tears prickling on the side of her eyes.

He looked at her, his eyes were much gentler than they have been whenever he looked at her this past two years. "I know that now. I know that what happened to us, it was neither of our faults. We were just… immature?" he struggled to find the right words. "And maybe it was a good thing," he laughed hollowly. "I mean, look at Yuuya and Mami, they didn't push through with their wedding for something that wasn't doubt about the success of their relationship. What more for you who was so unsure, right?" Ran felt herself stiffen at the reminder. "I mean, if we did push through with the wedding maybe we wouldn't be happily married right now. Maybe we dodged a bullet there."

His words, though true, still caused some pain in the corn-haired girl's heart. "Tatsuki, I never meant to hurt you."

He looked at her with knowing eyes. "I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

It was silent for a while.

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask you here to come point out what went wrong with us," he said, breaking the silence. "I've made my peace with that. And I came here to make my peace with you."

Ran jerked up, a feeling of worry and delight mixed up inside her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just— I mean—What I'm trying to say is that… I've forgiven you." Her eyes widened at his words, her chest growing. "I thought that at least you deserve to hear it from me after all the harsh words I've spoken last time. I'm ready to move forward from everything that has happened between us, Ran."

"Tatsuki…" she said quietly, feeling a tear fall down her cheek.

"I'd like for us to at least recover our friendship. We can start with that, can't we?" he smiled, weakly.

She smiled, wide and ear-to-ear. "I'd very much like that."

* * *

Rei was typing away in his laptop while simultaneously making notes on his medium-sized pad papers he brought along during his lunch break. He was in the middle of a big project for the Yumemura Group of Companies, one of their biggest clients. If it works out, it would his biggest accomplishment so far. And lately his work was his complete focus, being tired of trying to get through to his best friend, tired of his constant fights with his girlfriend, and keeping thoughts away from a certain ex-girlfriend.

"Rei," called the brunette from across the table. He looked up to see the aggravated look on Kaoru's face and responded with his stoic 'Hn.' They were having lunch in the ramen stop across the street from their building, and it took Kaoru some good minutes to convince him to have lunch with her. "I know you're busy but you could at least spare some 20 minutes and have a normal lunch with me."

But the engineer had already returned to his laptop. "You know this is a busy time, with the Yumemura project and all. I don't know why you're surprised I don't even have time for lunch—,"

"I just thought," she said irritably, placing her hands on the tabletop. "I just thought it would be nice to have lunch with my boyfriend. Is that too much to ask?"

He looked at her, noticing her frustration. His face softened a little, sighing. "I'm sorry, Kao. But you know how important this account is. You've handled big accounts too, you know how demanding it could be."

"I know, but…"

He closed his laptop, sighing. "Okay, sorry. Let's finish our bowls in peace. Is that fine with you? I'll continue the work when we get back to the office."

She looked at him, her annoyance was not simmering down but accepted what she could. After all, these days that's what their relationship was all about. She could only get what he was prepared to give, nothing more, and though it seems unfair, she has accepted it, because Rei was still her boyfriend. So she took a sip of her ramen and watched as Rei swallowed some noodles, appreciating that at that moment, he was there, just inches away from her, even though sometimes he felt so far away.

The last month has been very hard on their relationship, and she doesn't know where to pinpoint the cause of when and how it started, but for one reason or another, she can't help but feel like her relationship was going nowhere. It wasn't falling apart, because Rei was still there, they still went out on a regular basis, and it doesn't seem like he's going anywhere. It's just that _something_ wasn't enough. But she was afraid that if she asks for more, she'll lose him since he's not the type of guy who is willing to give more than he can.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked, cutting her train of thought. She looked at his chocolate eyes, the eyes that mesmerized her once before, but there's something missing now.

She then got a chopsticks full of noodles.

"I'm sorry," Rei said, out of the blue, catching the architect off guard. She looked at him surprised, "I'll make it up to you."

Her lips curved slightly at his small gesture. "It's okay. It's enough that you're here." _A lie._ But she wasn't ready to ask for more if he wasn't able to give her more. At least, not right now.

Possible storylines:

Rei's mom gets sick, dies, she comforts him in time of depression. Something happens? She gets confused, avoids him. Goes off for some time alone. He follows her.

In Tatsuki's engagement party/Mami and Yuuya's reception, he makes a best man speech about Aya, they dance. He tells her he still loves her but knows that he's lost all his chances because she already has a boyfriend, and she's probably better off with him

She gets mad, saying he always thinks he knows what better for her, but doesn't actually consider what she wants. So maybe they are better off apart.

END OF CHAPTER

**To be honest, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It gave me new ideas on how to go about the ending I want. And I hope I can wrap this up soon because I have ideas for a new fic I want to start, but I don't want to start it without finishing this one.**

**Anyway, I hope this was to your liking. Please leave a review, comment, suggestion. Thank you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! First off, so very very sorry for the unwarranted delay. You do not deserve that. But life sorta happened and it just threw me off my game. And to make up for it, I made this chapter pretty long. Had this plot working at the back of my head for a while now so i'm really glad to finally get this chapter out. Once again, I am so sorry. To those who are worried about which couple isn't going to make it, please don't worry so much! I promise it would all make sense.**

**Thank you for all your kind reviews, you push me to keep writing! Enjoy! I don't own anything.**

**Chapter 13: Discomforting Feelings**

"Is that the best you can do?" asked Yamato when he looked back to check on his companions that early morning run in the park in the city, it would be, after all, the best place to jog since the plants somewhat freshen the air. "My wife can run better than you slowpokes." He was referring to the former number one and number two, who stopped a few meters behind, clutching their knees and trying to catch their breath, because the ramen chef was doing just fine catching up with the police officer.

Yuuya was so tempted to give a rude hand gesture, fitting for the annoying person Yamato was at the moment, and he was surprised that Rei hadn't done so already. But he thought against it, Yamato had an arsenal of weapons after all, and at their state, he wouldn't be able to run away from him.

"So. You two, you do this every morning?" he managed to asked in between breaths, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Sometimes, more frequently a few months ago," answered Tatsuki who did not stop jogging in his place as well.

"Come on, we still got two kilometers left!" insisted Yamato.

Rei and Yuuya paled. They knew they were out of shape (one buried himself in work, and the other in booze) but this was murder. "The fuck, Yamato! If I knew I was signing up for torture I would have agreed to a shopping day with Ran."

But the policeman took none of it as he took off, slowly so the two could start their pace once again. "If I knew you two were going to whine so much I would have asked my sister to jog with instead."

Tatsuki laughed at the display.

It was he who asked the two to a morning run, saying he wanted to announce something to the boys, coupled with a declaration that the two would never outdo him in running (which is proving to be true). He added in as a factor, in Rei's case, that Yuuya would be there, knowing how the engineer was so busy lately he barely had time to check up on his best friend, whom, last he checked, was still wallowing in his miserable state.

Rei was surprised to see that such was not the case when they met up earlier this morning in one of the park benches. Sure, he wasn't his usual energetic and optimistic self, but he greeted Rei with a smile, and that was improvement enough. The engineer also noticed that all the beer and the pizzas had finally caught up to him, especially in his cheeks and his butt, but he decided against making a remark about it. In truth, he did better than Yuuya in the first two kilometers of the run, the latter had to pause a couple of times to catch his breath. Then after that he realized that he, too, was out of shape.

It wasn't that hard to convince Yuuya to jog. He was self-aware of how much weight he added, and that all the time he spent trying to reach that wedding-ready body went down the drain just as fast. But his last encounter with Yamato, nearly a week ago, did put him back to his senses, and that it was time to pick the pieces of his life once again whether he was going to be alone on this one or not, and he knew that had to start with himself.

"I am never agreeing to a morning run with you psychos again." Rei picked up his speed grudgingly, forcing Yuuya to pick his up as well.

"You'll get used to it, Rei, with practice" Tatsuki said sincerely, which only made Rei was to flick his forehead even more.

"I'm going to kick you."

"I don't think you can reach me though." Tatsuki stuck his tongue out.

"Just wait til we stop."

"Like the last five times we took a break?"

This time Rei released the rude hand gesture, which did not in any way dampen the spirits of the young ramen storeowner. He, in fact, enjoyed their little banter. Or perhaps he just in really good spirits, like he was these past few days. So when they reached the end of their little run, he stretched his arms outward welcoming the sunlight and fresh air, and as if they hadn't run a total of eight kilometers just seconds earlier.

"The two of you should exercise more," he said as a mater-of-factly. "I'll call you when there's a morning run, that should put you guys into shape."

The other three groaned at the idea. "Don't bother, I won't pick up," huffed Rei as he sat back on the grass and leaned on the tree that gave them ample shade from the glaring sun. He will never admit it to them but he did appreciate the view the hill gave them overlooking the city, it felt like everything else, including his problems were far away.

"I'll ring you until you until you give," Tatsuki retorted.

"I'll change my phone number."

"I know where you live. I'll doorbell at your apartment." With this Rei gave him a most menacing glare he could muster which did nothing to ruin the blonde's spirits. "Give it up, Otohata, I've been annoying all my life, and I'm not going to stop now."

"I liked you more when you where broken-hearted and sullen and mad at the world," Rei grumbled as Tatsuki pretended not to hear.

Yuuya sat back and took his seat beside Rei, smiling. "Hey, at least I'm now part of the club too, buddy!"

The three other men froze at the comment, not quite sure how to respond. Rei immediately remembering that the corn-haired entrepreneur was himself in the same state as Tatsuki was two years ago.

Yuuya stared back at them with a hollow laugh. "It was a joke, guys. I still know how to throw jokes." Yet no matter how Yuuya tried to mask the pain he felt, his friends knew better, and he guessed that that's what having the same friends for over a decade does to each other. And knowing better, they were generous enough to go along with it seeing as, at the very least, he was improving.

Rei shrugged, letting off a sigh. "See? I always knew relationships were evil."

Yuuya raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "You can't actually say that while you're in a relationship. You're supposed to be in relationship-bliss! Or something like that."

Tatsuki nodded in agreement, deciding to sit in the grass just within the shaded area as he took out his bottle of water. "Unless…" he let off, rubbing his chin. "Trouble in paradise perhaps?"

"There is no paradise," groaned Rei, tired of where the conversation is headed. "I don't want to talk about this. Not with you fools."

"Well how could there be when at the time you started your relationship, you were still hung up on your ex?" Yuuya chipped in innocently, as he took a sip of water from the water bottle he brought along.

"Maybe you still are hung up on Aya?" Yamato volunteered, not being helpful.

Rei didn't like the feeling that he was being ganged up on, especially not on the topic about his love life. And normally he would just brush away the questions and act like the cold-hearted bastard that he is. But today, or rather of late, he's been rather sensitive about these issues, unable to bite his tongue at the mention of Aya. "Wasn't it you who convinced me to take her out, 'take a dip in the vast pool of fishes just waiting for me'?" spat Rei, pointing at Yuuya, adding some air quotes for emphasis.

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know why you listened to me, lied to his fiancée and got dumped, remember." Rei gave him that round.

"Got left at the altar," Tatsukichi pointed to himself.

They looked at Yamato. "What are you guys looking at me for? I have a perfectly healthy, loving and lasting relationship."

They all looked at him, brows raised. "Married a girl fresh of off high school."

"Who was 6 years his junior."

"Pedophile."

Yamato, spat out the water he was drinking at his friends' remarks, clearly offended. "Hey!"

Yuuya enjoyed these little banters with his friends, it gave some sense of normalcy again, if that was even possible, but at least they were treating him less like the guy who got dumped before his wedding and more like their friend, and that felt good, not great, but good. So he let himself laugh, something he hasn't done in a long time. And this did not go unnoticed by his friends.

"So, anyway, Tatsukichi, what was it that you wanted to announce?" asked the corn-haired man, smiling.

"Oh right! Well, I wasn't going to announce it here," he laughed, leaving the rest of the men confused. "I'll be having a party in three weeks, I'll announce it there! You guys have to make it, no excuses!"

* * *

Miyu had called Ran for lunch that day, which made Ran ecstatic wanting to get away from some paperwork she had to do over some of the arrests she has made the past few days. Ran didn't mind the running around, arresting-the-bad-guys, and putting-her-life-in-danger part of the job, but the paperwork not so much. However, what Ran didn't expect was to have lunch _here_, of all places.

She stared at the wooden sign, at its name painted in black strokes, and below it in yellow strokes, _House of the Best Ramen_, and indeed it was not lying. She knew how much effort it took him to bring his father's ramen store to the glory that it is today, to grow it to the big business it is now. And standing in front of this ramen house, where he had brought her more times than he can remember when they were dating at times when he could not treat her out at another restaurant, she feels nervous. It's one thing to see Tatsuki, after all, things have been going pretty well between the two of them as of late, but to see his family, whom she knew she hurt pretty well too just twists her insides.

"Ran!" the corn-haired girl was brought back to reality by her friend who had been trying to get her attention. "Come on!"

Miyu grabbed her friend's wrist, but as she pulled, it was clear that she wouldn't budge. She let go of Ran's wrist, instead held her hand gently. "What's wrong?"

Ran looked into Miyu's blue orbs, unable to speak her mind. So instead she smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, I'm just… nervous. Eating here, I mean. You understand, right?"

Miyu smiled gently at her friend. "It's okay, Ran. It was Tatsukichi who invited us for lunch." The words caught Ran by surprise but before she could react, she found herself pulled into the busy ramen house where they were greeted by one of Tatsuki's employees.

"Mrs. Kotobuki, we've been expecting you," the young man greeted. "This way, please. Sir has reserved a table for you."

Miyu smiled at the young lad, thanking him as he led them to their table. It's been so long since Ran had been here she hardly recognized the place. _So much had changed, _she thought. The tables and chairs were different, the bar by the open kitchen was also renovated, now bigger and longer, there were booths installed now to one of which they were being led.

When the ladies were seated, the young man handed them each a menu. "The boss says order what you want, it's on him today. He'll join once he is done working the kitchen."

There was this sort of strange feeling that hit Ran, this sense of sudden sadness that she doesn't know where it's coming from and she doesn't know how to feel about it. Was it going back here where the memories come flooding back in? Or was it the sense of unfamiliarity, that the things that she used to know so well are the things that changed the most, that these things, the things she loved, the person she loved changed without her? But it was her fault wasn't it? She left. She changed her mind first. So what was this feeling of uneasiness, this uncomforting feeling that makes her want to run this very moment. This sudden rush of emotions caused a tear to fall from the corner of the super gal's eye, but she was sure to hide behind the menu, not to make her best friend see the mess that she's feeling right now.

It wasn't long into their lunch when Tatsuki was finally able to join them, still wearing his chef's uniform and bringing the strong scents from the kitchen. Nonetheless, he was greeted by Ran and Miyu warmly and gratefully.

"It's too bad Aya couldn't make it."

"Yeah, she had a shift so she her lunch break wouldn't allow her going all the way here from the hospital," Miyu responded when Tatsuki inquired about Aya's absence.

"So how's the food? We added in some new things in the menu, I should have recommended them to you." He took his seat on the same side of the couch as Ran, who froze as he scooted in.

"Great food as usual, Tatsukichi!" Miyu exclaimed. "Don't worry, I'll try those new dishes next time, and I'll bring Yamato and Yuri."

Ran nodded, focusing her gaze on the ramen bowl in front of her. "Clearly the best ramen in town," she said, trying to hide her blush.

Tatsuki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Thanks," he gave a humble chuckle. "Birng the whole gang next time. Actually, I was with Yamato earlier today, taking a jog."

"Ah, yeah. He did tell me he was going out jogging with Rei and Yuuya too, is that true?" she asked after taking a sip of the broth.

Tatsuki laughed, remembering how those two 'jogged' this morning. "Indeed. I wouldn't call it much of a jog for those two though."

"Well, those two are clearly out of shape," said Ran, taking a look at Tatsuki who in turn looked at her and smiled. Suddenly, she felt a little more relaxed.

The conversation went on smoothly the rest of the time, and they were able to talk about other things without getting into awkward topics. Ran was slowly getting back to her cheery self, Miyu noticed.

"Hey, Tatsukichi," Miyu suddenly remembered the reason they were having lunch, and the fact that said reason still hasn't come to light and they were about to finish.

"Hm?"

"You said you were going to tell us something important over lunch," said Miyu. Tatsuki thought for a moment before his face lit up, remembering what it was he needed to tell them.

He smiled from ear to ear. "Yes, actually! Thanks for reminding me, Miyu. I'm going to have a party, well actually it's more of a small get-together, I'm going to announce something important there so attendance is a must for you guys!"

Miyu and Ran exchanged looks. "Why the party? Are you planning on opening a new restaurant? Or a new branch maybe?" Miyu then paused. "Oh my god. Are you going to leave Japan?"

Tatsuki shook his head. "Nu-uh, Miyu. No guessing game. You're gonna find out like the rest of the gang is gonna find out. In three weeks, okay?" He saw the worried looks on his friends' faces. "Look, it's good news I promise. And I can't wait to tell all of you guys, but I want all of us to get-together before I announce it. The last time we got together was when, you know," he said the last part in a hushed tone even though he didn't have to since neither Yuuya and Mami were there.

Miyu looked at him suspiciously, and Tatsuki just smiled nervously. "Okay fine."

"Great! It's settled then, yeah? I'll text you guys the venue once I got it settled. Please spread the word to Aya, I've already informed the boys this morning!" His smiled was unrelenting. Tatsuki had this glow that just radiated but neither of the ladies knew its source. In his eagerness, he reached out and grabbed Ran's and Miyu's hands. "Thanks so much, guys! I'm so excited to tell you guys the news!"

She froze at his touch, and he didn't seem to notice. She wanted to wiggle her fingers so that she could hold his hand as well, but she decided against this. But suddenly, Ran had that weird feeling in her heart, and at the moment she couldn't tell if it was a bad feeling or a good feeling. She can't help the nagging feeling that something big was about to happen with Tatsuki's news, and she quite couldn't put her finger on it. But his touch, instead she focused on his touch, and how good it felt and how it makes her heart jump.

But then he let go. She didn't want him to let go.

"Oh and if you could find a way to let Mami know, that would be great! It would be nice to get the whole gang complete. And you know, it'd be great to if those two could get a chance to talk," he smiled.

Ran only nodded, smiling, unable to process his words. "Yeah."

* * *

It had been a couple of days after having lunch with Tatsuki, and she had to admit that it felt good having spent some time with him again after the things that happened between them. It was giving her a glitter of hope that things may just work out for them after all. She has decided to ignore that nagging feeling inside of her that there was still something that was off about the whole situation because, as Aya and Miyu would like to phrase it, she had to focus on the good things.

So this morning, on her usual coffee run, she decided to buy her big brother some coffee, a sign of goodwill and a dose of good karma to send out to the universe.

"Ran?" said a voice behind her in the line to the cashier. Turning around she was surprised to see a light brown-haired woman standing there. "This is where you buy your coffee too? Funny we only ran in to each other today."

"Kaoru!" They both buy their coffees, Ran telling the barista to prepare the other coffee meant for her brother later on when she was about to leave. The took their seat in a table outside the shop with the big umbrella that provided them some shade.

"It's been a while, yeah?"

Kaoru nodded in response. "I think the last time I saw you was during _that _dinner."

Remembering the events of that night still sent shivers down her spine. What went down there was probably going to be one of the biggest hurdles their friendship is ever going to go through. But she remembered that the throwing off of the engagement wasn't the only eventful thing that happened last night.

"How are you holding up, by the way?" Ran asked.

The question confused Kaoru. "What do you mean?"

"I mean with the sudden revelation and all?" Ran answered earnestly, her tactlessness knowing no bounds. "How are you and Rei doing."

"Oh." That's what she meant, Kaoru realized. She did this awkward double take, fidgeting around her cup of coffee. "Can't say that didn't affect us," she said looking down. "But we're fine, we're… okay."

"Ah. That good." Ran took a sip from her own cup.

Kaoru looked at the former super gal, trying to read her expression but couldn't. "Can I ask you a question, Ran?"

"Ask away," smiled the corn-haired girl.

She hesitated for a second but asked anyway. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Taken aback by her question, Ran almost spat out the coffee she sipped. "What? Where'd you get that?"

"I didn't meet you until a few months after I've been dating Rei, and we're not really close," she said, almost nervously. "And Aya is one of your closest friends—"

"Alright, I'll stop you right there." Ran looked at her sternly. "It's not that I don't like you, it's not that at all. I just… We just don't know each other well. And that's not either of our faults," she explained. "I only met you when I met you because that's when Rei introduced you to me, and we're not close because we haven't spent much time together. Like I said, that's not my fault or yours. And with Aya… yes she is one of my closest friends, and I'll do anything for her. But you haven't done anything wrong to her so there's really nothing there."

Her sudden response left Kaoru really still. But after processing what Ran said, she feels a little relieved. "Okay. Thanks," she managed to smile.

"Where did that come from anyway, Kaoru?"

Kaoru shook her head. "It's nothing, apparently it was all in my head that Rei's friends don't like me because they might think that I stole him away from Aya."

Ran laughed at the thought. "We don't think that!"

"Kaoru gave a soft but apologetic smile, "Yeah, I know that now."

"Look, Kaoru. Nobody blames you for what happened to Rei and Aya. What happened to them, to be honest, was both their faults. They let each other go, no matter who says what. And if you let your great love go, well, take it from me, it's a hard thing to get over."

And it was as if there was an arrow that pierced through her. _Great love._ Is that really what they had?

* * *

Kaoru sat across her boyfriend as they waited for their orders to arrive. They ate at the restaurant he thought would be the last place she'd choose, proving once again that he can't truly read her mind. They were in _their _café, the café that was just a short distance from where a certain raven-haired girl worked, which really brings up the chances of running into her.

It wasn't like he was avoiding her, anyway she was dating someone at the moment, last he'd heard. If he were to be honest with himself, he likes the little run-ins he'd have with her in this rustic café that to a knowing person it might have been a subconscious intention to have those run-ins. But it wasn't fair to Kaoru, to be having _"fated"_ encounters with his ex-girlfriend and like them. So he wouldn't admit it, and he would avoid her.

But Kaoru, chose this restaurant to eat lunch. And as they waited for their orders, the silence between them grew. He'd often look at his phone, in the guise of checking some emails from clients or from the partners from the firm. So while she looked at him swiping his finger through his phone and reading emails, she has come to wonder when the silence that used to be comfortable and safe become unbearably awkward. She wondered when she lost the brown-haired man she loved that was sitting right in front of him. The sad part for her was she already knew the answer.

She knew he was trying to be a better boyfriend. She could feel his intentions were sincere, just as his apology was during their lunch at the ramen stop a few weeks back. But when did their relationship become so effortful on both their parts? On her trying to hold them together, and on him trying to stay.

Their food came not long after, and still they ate in silence. She would ask curt questions like "are you going on site today" or "have you finished the presentation for this project" and he would give answers she already knew, and their conversations would end just as fast as it has started.

"Kaoru-san? Otohata-kun?" said a voice that caught both their attentions. It belonged to the raven-haired doctor Kaoru knew they would run into in that restaurant, but she wasn't alone. Standing right behind her, holding a brown paper bag similar to one that Aya was holding as well, stood a young man with bright red hair and a smile to match.

"Hoshino-san," greeted Kaoru. She turned to look at Rei, and as she'd suspect, he was already looking at her with a look she hasn't seen in him in a long time. But then his gaze travelled from the dark-haired lady to the redhead behind her, and only then did Kaoru really take a look at the man the doctor was with.

Aya noticed that their attentions had lingered from her to the man she was with and she scrambled to collect her manners. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Um, this is Dr. Kobayakawa, a resident at my hospital."

"Hi, I'm Kobayakawa Shin. Nice to meet you," he smiled.

"This is Otohata Rei," Aya motioned towards Rei. "A friend of mine." Rei responded only with a curt nod, eyeing the male doctor intently. "And his girlfriend, Ishiki Kaoru."

"Nice to meet you," Kaoru smiled. "Are you guys having lunch? Why don't you join us, there's free space at our table."

Rei turned to look at Kaoru who did not look back at him, trying to read her actions. Instead she was looking at Aya with a small but warm smile.

"Oh no, it's alright, thank you. Dr. Kobayakawa has suddenly been paged so he has to go back—"

"_I_ have to go back," he interrupted, smiling at her.

"W-what?"

"You can go have lunch with your friends," he said as he placed his hands on her shoulder and motioned her to sit on one of the empty chairs. "You might not have seen your friends for a while now because you've been so busy with your shifts. Go on now."

"Shin!" she blushed at his actions.

He merely gave her a boyish smile. "I gotta run, but will you guys please take care of this lovely doctor? On to saving lives," he joked, not letting Aya finish her protest. To be fair, Aya did not tell him about Rei and Kaoru so he was not totally aware of the awkward position he was leaving her in.

Kaoru, on the other hand, noticed just the slight flinches that the engineer made when Shin placed his hands on Aya's shoulder and the way he called her lovely, which only pained her more.

When Shin left, Aya stood up. "Sorry, I really didn't mean to interrupt. And it looks like you're almost done with lunch. It's really fine, I'll just take this back to—"

"No, Aya-san," Kaoru stopped Aya, holding her by the wrist. "Please, join us, it's really fine."

Aya looked at Rei. It was the first time she'd seen him in weeks. She noticed the bags around his eyes and the almost-barren look he wore. Still, he nodded signifying that she should stay.

"A-alright then, thanks." She opened the brown bag that was her take-out and continued eating with them.

"How have you been, Aya-san?" It was Kaoru that broke the silence and opened up the conversation. Her gestures had been a complete surprise for Aya, but then she remembered that Kaoru had always been kind towards her.

"I've been a bit busy in the hospital, actually," Aya said shyly, unable to look at either of them in the eye. "The love to drive interns like slaves around there." She was honest, then her eyes softened, "but I get to help a lot of people, not all, but a lot. And that's… it's really rewarding." She smiled warmly at Kaoru, and it was her turn to surprise Kaoru with such a gesture. Rei looked at her, and to anyone else his expression would simply be considered stoic, but both ladies would know that his brown eyes had become alive as he looked at the face of the woman to his right. But only one lady would know that his eyes hadn't shone this bright in so long.

"That's really great," the brunette replied sincerely.

A mobile ring interrupted the exchange and Rei's gaze had suddenly been broken by his ringing phone. He grabbed his phone as he saw the name of the caller, standing up he said, "I have to take this."

When he was out of earshot, Aya returned to the conversation with Kaoru. "How have you been, Kaoru?"

Surprised, Kaoru saw the sincerity in Aya's question. She took a while to consider he answer until she finally said, "I've been better."

"Oh," said Aya, with a paint of worry in her face. "Is something the matter?"

Kaoru simply smiled, shaking her head. "It… It doesn't matter."

But before Aya could prod on, Rei returned but instead of sitting down, he grabbed his jacket hanging behind the back of the chair where he sat. "I have to go, there was an emergency on the site, they need me there."

Kaoru stood up. "What happened? Do you need me to go with you?"

"No," he replied quickly. "Some of the materials didn't hold so there's been an accident. A senior partner is on his way to look into it but they want all the engineers on the project there right now."

"Oh alright then, I'll just meet you back in the firm?"

He looked at Kaoru as he wore his jacket, taking his car keys and his phone and putting them in the pockets of his pants. "Yeah, okay. Sorry about this."

Kaoru shook her head, "No, it's fine."

He looked at Aya who slightly became pink when their eyes met. "It's okay. Go and handle the situation."

And he left without another word, leaving the two women there to finish their lunch.

"I hope everything will be alright. Do accidents like this happen often?" Aya asked after Kaoru has returned to her seat.

"It's not uncommon. After all, it's the construction industry. But normally fingers would be pointed and someone might take the blame for these kinds of things. Some times, it's just really a pure accident," Kaoru replied.

"Oh I see," said Aya. "Well I hope that gets sorted," she smiled.

Kaoru looked at her for a while, studying her, looking at home the light hits her face, at how gentle her features are and at how warm her smile is. Suddenly there was this heavy feeling inside of her, and a rush of sadness comes over her.

"Kaoru?" Aya asks when she catches her staring. "Is there something on my face?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "No, it's just… you really intimidate me, Aya-san."

This catches Aya by surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You. The idea of you. Who you are. It intimidates me."

Aya looks at her utterly confused. "I don't understand…"

"You are…" she paused, taking a deep breath. "His great love." She says those words with a smile, a smile that reads a deep pain, a pain that blames no one but fate, but pain nonetheless. "Your love story to me is a legend. Everything you've been through, everything he's been through, and everything you've been through together, it's… it's _intimidating_." She says the word with a hollow laugh. "And the funny thing is, I only noticed now just how legendary it all is. How you fought for him and how you won his heart, and how he flew half-way across the world for you, granted that didn't really turn out well, but… Just the idea of it all."

She heaves a heavy sigh.

Aya was caught off guard at this sudden outburst of honesty from Kaoru. She can see the tears starting to well up around the corners of her eyes. But her words had the effect of reminding her all that has happened between Rei and herself, and from her point of view, Kaoru couldn't be more wrong. "Kaoru, I'm not that intimidating," Aya finally says softly after contemplating a response to what she had just heard. She offers her a smile. "And me and Rei, we're not legendary. There is nothing legendary about our story."

Kaoru looks at her, wiping a single tear that threatens to fall. "But you really are. And it really is. And I… I can't compete with that."

Aya reaches out to hold Kaoru's hand. "That's not true. You are his girlfriend now—"

But the brunette shakes her head, interrupting Aya. "I may be his girlfriend, but I can't compete with his great love. I've tried… I am trying but I can't… I'm just… I lose."

The doctor was lost trying to find a way to convince Kaoru otherwise because even her feelings at the moment were confused.

Kaoru placed her free hand on top of Aya's. "I'm not blaming you, Aya-san. Really, I'm not. I've known for a while now and I've tried to deceive myself otherwise, but now it's clear to me because I see the way he looks at you."

"I don't understand…" Aya says weakly, unable to keep up with the conversation

"I don't what to be the one he looks at only when you look away. Before that might have been enough for me, but it's really… It's really not, not anymore," she said, taking her hands away from Aya's to wipe the tears that are now falling on her cheeks.

"Kaoru… I… I don't… You're wrong... Don't…" But there was nothing coherent that she could form in her head. Instead she was asking why this was all happening and why this was all being unloaded unto her right now.

Kaoru simply smiled and shook her head. "You're his great love. And I just can't compete with that."

**END**


	14. Chapter 14

Hello, again! It's me with a new chapter. I tried to have this finished as soon as I can so thank you all for being patient. It's nearing the end I promise, now that the story's really moving along! I might have the next chapter up maybe by the end of May or early June since my finals are coming up. But I promise it will come!

Hope you enjoy this chapter and please continue giving feedback and tell me what you think. Really, your reviews push me to work on this faster.

**Chapter 14: Moving On**

_Japan Airways Flight 916 bound for Tokyo, Japan has just arrived._

_Japan Airways Flight 916 bound for Tokyo, Japan has just arrived._

Mami always loved airports. There's something about being in airports that just gives her shivers down her spine, the good kind. It was a mix of excitement and uncertainty that the airports always give her that she loves to breathe in every time she steps into the airport. The excitement of going to new places, meeting new friends or friends she hasn't seen for a long time, _shopping_, but it's also the uncertainty of what she'll find, where'll she'll go, what journey is in stored for her that makes all jittery like a kid in Christmas morning.

But that wasn't the case today. Today, she has come back to Japan from her impromptu escape from… well, life. She hasn't contacted anyone nor told anyone where she's been or that she's back, except her parents, who already berated her for taking too long a sabbatical but which she ignored altogether.

For Mami, that escape was what she needed at the time because all the feelings she felt, all the decisions she had to make, it confused the hell out of her and it _scared_ her. Returning to Japan and facing the repercussions were not part of her plan, at that time, at least, but her parents were adamant that she return because she did not only leave a bunch of people hanging but also her many business ventures. And while her parents generously took over for during her momentary soul searching, a month and a half was honestly just too long.

Now it was time to face the music.

Dragging her suitcase along until she reached the gate of the airport where a limousine and a chauffer was ready and waiting. The black-coated man took her suitcase and opened the door for her. Upon getting in and setting herself comfortable on the leather seats, she swipe-opened her phone, went to her messages and saw that the last date stamp was that of nearly two months ago, the longest they ever went without communicating to each other. Mami typed her message and with some hesitation finally sent it.

_I'm back. Can we talk?_

* * *

He heard his phone buzzing, but he tried to ignore it. His head was _throbbing_. It hadn't been four hours since he got to bed. He was entitled to sleep in today, especially after the fiasco that happened in the restaurant last night when two guests decided to have a fist fight and thought it was a good idea to ruin the chairs and break plates and glasses and make the owner spend hours in the precinct to explain what happened.

He considered his options. First was to go back to sleep and just consider the buzzing a figment of his imagination. Or second, answer the phone, a message most likely from his restaurant's manager, _the incompetent fool_, requiring his permission regarding every single detail for the repairs needed to be done. But business was business and he needed income to survive this lonely world, so against his better judgment he picked up the phone and but was rather surprised at who the caller was.

"What?" he demanded.

"Good morning to you too, Yuuya," greeted a rather irritated Yamato.

"Yeah, yeah," he waived his hand as if shooing away the irritation, which obviously the person on the other end would not be able to see. "It was not a good night. So, what do you want?"

"Have you spoken to Rei lately?"

"No, why?"

"Tatsuki's been trying to get a hold of him, frantic, that man," Yamato explained. "I couldn't reach him so I was wondering if you knew where he was or how to get a hold of him."

"Why would I?" The grogginess of his voice unmasked.

"Because you're his best friend if my memory serves me correctly," Yamato retorted, the sarcasm in his voice evident. "And get yourself some coffee, it will help with the head ache and maybe even your morning personality. Someone at the precinct told me what happened."

"Yes, dad," Yuuya muttered grudgingly.

"And get a hold of Rei, okay? Tatsuki really needs his help."

He groaned burying his face in his pillow, ending the call. But now he couldn't get back to sleep, his interest piqued. So he tried calling his best friend, but it was as they said, even he couldn't get a hold of him as it only went to voicemail. He didn't like the feeling that even he can't reach the brown-haired engineer. It wasn't like he felt his friend was going to do something stupid, but now that he remembered, the last time he got to talk to Rei was a few days after they went jogging with Yamato and Tatsuki (he did not go jogging again with them despite their threats because of how sore his body became that whole week).

It wasn't like Rei to disappear from the face of the planet. Sure, he tended to ignore people, but he'd answer calls albeit meanly when he needed to. And apparently, he needed to.

So Yuuya, now unable to sleep, got up and brewed himself a cup of coffee as he made some calls. He even tried his manager because there was a chance the engineer would be hanging by his bar in the restaurant, maybe downing a few morning beers, but he wasn't, and he dropped the call before the frantic manager could ask him questions regarding the restaurant. Yuuya then tried calling Kaoru, but even she rejected his calls. _Maybe those two are at it… Nah._

After taking a quick shower and two cups of coffee, he decided to go to a place where he'd usually find Rei back when they were in high school, a place where until now, only he knew he went to (at least that's what he'd like to believe) and if he was trying to escape something then he might just be there (unlikely, but still probable).

The corn-haired restaurateur walked the familiar streets of Shibuya like it was the heyday of his high school life watching familiar uniforms walk past and by him until he reached a street that people wouldn't go to unless they purposely intend to go to one of the stores on that street. He stopped three stores down, surprised that the rather hippie looking hole-in-the-wall actually still exists. It had its old wooden sign that read _Music &amp; Coffee, _its windows were pitch black so the inside of the coffeehouse could not be seen, it had rather old posters of even older musicians plastered on the dark windows, and an enter sign that looks like it hasn't been turned around in a while.

As he entered, the bell on top of the door frame rang, informing the service staff that a customer has arrived. It was just as he remembered it, small wooden round tables all around the café, a rather bright ambiance despite the dark windows, the walls filled with framed posters of musicians old, and at the back, right before the hall to the comfort room, was a big turn table and right beside it is a selection of records that he never once went through. It was really more of Rei's thing.

And just as he'd thought, although he largely doubted he'd actually be right, but there he was sitting at the table nearest to the records, taking a sip of coffee wearing a pensive and thoughtful look. He hated thoughtful Rei, it always wasn't a good thing.

"Well, well. Looks like they were right. I _am_ your best friend."

Rei looked up and grunted as he found the face of Yuuya standing right in front of him, pulling the free chair in front of him to take his seat. "What are you doing here?"

"The whole world has sent out a search party for you. Apparently you are very much needed but you have gone missing, theories as to your disappearance were actually starting to get out of hand," he said placing his elbow on the table and resting his chin on the back of his hand. "You, my friend, are a hard man to track down."

"Tatsuki sent you?"

"Like I said, a search party was sent out." He motioned for a waiter to approach him with a menu. "What brings you back here anyway?"

One of the baristas approached him with a menu, but it didn't take him a long time to order, already having two cups of coffee. Instead, he ordered a bagel with extra cream cheese.

"I came here because I knew nobody would find me here."

"And yet here I am," Yuuya said rather proudly, grinning.

"Yes, unfortunately," his voice not even attempting to hide the disappointment. "Now that you know I'm alive, you can go now."

"I thought I'd keep you company," he smiled purposely just to irk him.

"Rather you wouldn't."

"Oh? But you'll find that I'm fucking good company. Just ask my best friend, but's he's kind of a grumpy little asshole so he might not answer you, not to mention he's been MIA for quite some time now. He kinda looks like you, actually."

Rei groaned, giving up in getting Yuuya to leave. Instead, he took another sip of his coffee and leaned back on his seat, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket, closing his eyes momentarily, sighing.

"So, why is Tatsuki looking for you?"

The brown-haired engineer simply ignored his question, refusing to open his eyes for him.

"Does it have anything to do with that thing he has next weekend?" No response. "Because I really think that he's just setting us up for one whole big prank. I mean, a big party? Kinda not his thing, am I right?"

Clearly there was something those two were hiding, but the fact that he can't get his friend to talk about anything was rather unnerving. So he decided to go at it another route.

"Haven't been here in a long time," Yuuya said sighing. "I can't believe it's still alive. I remember… this is practically the only thing I know about you that I can proudly say nobody else knows."

There was a long pause as Rei his fingers fidgeted around the handle of the mug, his eyes still closed. "Aya does."

The fact that Rei said anything at all surprised him, but for him to mention Aya took his surprise to a whole new level. "I never brought her here though, I just mentioned this place to her once. I don't even know if she remembers it, but I guess that's not the point."

Yuuya scratched his head, laughing nervously. "Well, that certainly puts a damper on my confidence as your best friend. But hey, I forgive you." As if on cue, his order arrives, and as he makes a slice, he continues the conversation. "So I'm guessing so does Kaoru? Does it become a right of passage for all the significant others in your life? Myself included."

"Oh, Kaoru," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice, barely recognizable, looking away from Yuuya and looking out the one-way window of the shop. "Yeah, we ended things a while back."

"Wait—What?" Yuuya was shocked, nearly caused him to stand from his seat, earning him looks from the few customers that were present in the coffeehouse. "Ended things? A while back? How 'a while back' are we talking about here?"

He shrugged, still not looking at Yuuya. "Not quite sure anymore. A week—maybe two weeks ago?"

"Why?" Yuuya asked almost simultaneous with Rei's answer.

"Something about her not wanting to be second best, and that she knows she's not the one I want, or something along those lines. I can't really remember all the details anymore." Rei buries his face in his palms as his fingers grab strands of his hair of his bangs. On rare occasions, this one being such occasion, Rei has allowed himself to crumble in front of another person, of course the only person he'd ever shown such weakness to being Yuuya. "I really messed things up with them, didn't I?"

"Rei…" This was not how Yuuya expected things to turn out when he went out to look for Rei this morning.

But there they were, and all those information are out there, mainly because he did ask for it.

Rei chuckled as he took his face out of his palms and finally faced his best friend. "Well I guess I was right all along. Relationships are evil."

Yuuya sighed as he leaned back to his seat, Rei mirroring the same. "Yeah, you are. Relationships can be fucked up, man," Yuuya said almost imitating the hollow laugh that Rei made. "But, Rei, I think ending the relationship between you and Kaoru is actually a good thing. I mean, you always knew deep inside that you were only in it half-heartedly so from the very beginning you already had one foot out the door and maybe you didn't even realize it. Your relationship was doomed to fail from the very beginning."

"Are you saying that I intentionally sabotaged my relationship? That I made the relationship fail?"

Yuuya stared at him blankly. "Well… yes."

Rei frowned at him.

"No! No, that's not it. What I meant to say was that you didn't intend to sabotage it, it's just you didn't intend for it to last," he explained, or tried to, unsure with himself that he was making sense either. Rei's expression softened though so maybe he was making some sense and Yuuya took it has his cue to continue. "And we both know what held you back with Kaoru, and maybe, maybe this is the universe giving you the second chance to fix things with Aya."

"I doubt that, Aya is already dating someone else."

"That guy's not you."

"Yeah, and maybe that's the best thing for her."

"Stop trying to decide what's best for her because you don't know what that is. Last time you did that it didn't work out so well for either of you, now did it?" Yuuya leaned toward the table placing both his arms on them giving Rei a stern look. "Stop being selfish to everyone else but yourself. Be selfish at least once when it comes to her. Don't you think it's high time one of you at least fights for the other? Don't you think your love story deserves at least that?"

Rei was silent for a while, taken aback by his friend's sudden burst of tough love. Could Yuuya be right? Could this be the perfect time for both of them? "Yuuya, do you..." He trailed.

"Do I?"

"Do you believe in second chances?" Rei asked, his brown eyes looking straight at his golden ones, not looking for an answer that he already knew but for an honest answer, maybe because he needed his friend to be honest with himself.

Reading his friend's thoughts, the corn-haired man leans back on his chair, eyes avoiding brown ones. "Come on, Rei. Our situations aren't alike."

"But if life gives you a chance to take a shot at a second chance, will you take it?"

Yuuya considered for a moment, taking his time, and the engineer willingly waited. After a long pause, he looked at Rei straight in the eyes and saw that he needed to be honest. "I don't know, Rei. She left without a word, to a place where I can't follow her or find her or help her. I know that a big part of why she left was my fault, but she, she just left and suddenly I was all alone to face the pain of her absence. I hit rock bottom and she… I needed her."

"But she's all alone too, Yuuya."

Yuuya snickered. "That was her choice, a choice I didn't get to have a say in. And I just… I just…" He paused, placing his hand over his mouth for a moment, thinking very carefully of the next words he was going to say. "I was in pain too. With the news about… about me, and with the breaking off of the engagement, and her leaving. I was in so much pain too. I needed her, but she left me. And maybe, maybe if you asked me this a month ago, I would have said yes to taking her back in a heartbeat but now… I just needed her, and she didn't want to work through the problem. Instead, she escaped on her own. My life was shattered in pieces and I had to pick it up one by one by myself."

"So, you don't believe in them." It was more a statement than a question.

"I do. I just don't know if I think it's something for me and Mami." He placed his fingers on his temples, rubbing circles on them. "Maybe I'll know when I see her, if I see her again. She hasn't come back to Japan. I'd suspect she'd inform me if she ever got back to Japan." He paused, taking a long look at his friend. "But just because I don't know if it's always the best thing doesn't mean that it isn't for you, Rei. Stop looking for reasons that it won't work."

Rei looked his friend, his words still ringing in his head, processing and thinking. Sighing, he closed his eyes. He thought that going back to this place would do him good, but it seems like it was just as troubled with life as he was two weeks ago.

* * *

It was her day off, and just as she ordinarily would spend her day off when none of her friends are available to spend it with her, she goes on a shopping spree with her latest paycheck. Granted, in recent years she has allotted a portion of her salary to her savings (as any mature and reasonable adult should, or so her brother, mother and father had persuasively insisted), she would not deny herself this little happiness of spending for herself as a reward for her hard work.

While she had gone through her usual stores, buying an accessory or piece of clothing or two in her favorite ones, she could not help but still look into the other stores and what they had to offer (it would be unfair to the other stores to neglect them, as she would reason). Her new maroon suede boots would probably be the highlight of her shopping day, which she had adamantly fought for against a college student who surrendered when Ran released her sharp nails and cat eyes, evidently ready to pounce. But her mood significantly brightened (if that was even possible considering that she regarded the boots as _personal victory_ that made her day) when she ran into a certain blonde ramen store owner who seemed pleasantly surprised with the run-in.

Ordinarily, nerves would kick in at just the sight of him, nerves that were mixed with anxiety and fear. But their interactions of the recent month dramatically improved her perception of where the status of their relationship lies. By recent interactions it would include some text message exchanges (often starting with group reminders of Tatsuki's impending party, to which she would reply, and then so would he, sometimes asking how she was) and a recent dinner in his restaurant with Yamato's family because Miyu promised she would try the new additions to the menu.

He was shopping for some supplies to be used in the party, which was only less than a week away at that point, and he cordially invited her to join him, if she didn't have anymore shopping of her own to do, in his own shopping. Tatsuki brought her bags and the bags he had with him to the car before making their way to the grocery to do some ingredient shopping.

"So," began Ran as casually as she could muster. "What is this big announcement anyway? Why the secrecy?"

He turned her way, grin wide and shiny. "Nu-uh," he shook his head playfully. "You're going to find out in the weekend just like everyone else."

She made a little pout, his cheery disposition making hers more comfortable. "Fine. You'd better be making some killer-ass food, though, because you know how excitement makes me hungry."

Tatsuki gave a good-natured laugh. "Do I ever? Don't worry, I'm making the food for this party extra special!"

She smiled as his laugh filled her ears and electricity ran down her spine, and for the first time in a long time she felt a breath of fresh air between them. It wasn't the heavy, tangible tension that usually filled the atmosphere in the past couple of years. And it was like she exhaled air in her lungs she didn't was kept in there for a very long time.

"Good." She smiled back at him, crossing her arms behind her back as they continued to walk (although now she felt like skipping) to the grocery.

"How's Yuuya?" Ran asked, genuinely curious, but also wanting to strike another conversation.

Tatsuki continues walking, facing forward, taking some time to answer. "Well, to be honest, he's actually doing fine. Well—not fine, but better. Definitely better, all things considered." She flinches at his words, but he didn't seem to notice. "He's smiling a lot more now, which is good."

She pauses, realizing it's been a while since she saw Yuuya. She remembered how much of a wreck he was after Mami left to God knows where, but she hasn't really checked up on him, deciding she just needed to let him be for a while. "That's good. I'm starting to feel guilty that I haven't seen him for a while," she says, although she knows that's not the only reason she's feeling guilty.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's not holding it against you," he says as they continue to walk. "He's strong. At least he's not always thinking of when Mami's coming back, if she will come back—"

"She'll come back." She tries to convince him and he looks at her with raised eyebrow. Her confidence flickers at his sudden gaze that she can't read.

He smiles softly. "I'm just saying, it'll be okay to move on. It'll make him stronger. And maybe when she returns they'll be able to fix things. But the world doesn't stop turning, so he shouldn't either."

His voice wasn't trying to imply anything. In fact, he says it with such understanding that she doesn't know why she feels so affected. She doesn't respond though, and they continue to walk.

It wasn't like she was trying to be disillusioned at their situation now that they're becoming friends again, much as she'd always want more. She knew very well that he was still very much in a relationship with Suzura, and whether he generously opts not to mention her name while they're together or not, and she never asks about her either, the fact of it still lingers at the back of his head. But it's not like she expects him to end things with her just because they were fixing things between them. She has told herself that trying to be friends is fine… for now. She'll take what she can get.

Her thoughts relax her and she almost forgets that they have reached the supermarket. It was only when he asks her something that she didn't fully register did she realize that he has already gotten the shopping cart. "Sorry, what was that?"

He grinned at her. "I know you're in a grocery, but try not to eat everything you get your hands on, okay? We're on a budget here."

She frowned, eyebrows furrowed in a funny way and he smiles at her almost endearingly. "Just kidding! Fine I'll allow up to two items, that's it."

He teases and she stares into his golden eyes. "Just for that I'll get expensive items." Unperturbed by her threat, he grins but the lose eye contact when he starts walking forward pushing the push cart, and for a moment she imagines that his gaze flickers at the sight of hers, but she brushes this aside.

* * *

Aya slumped forward, resting her tired little head on top of crossed arms that lay limp over the cold table top in the hospital cafeteria. She no longer cared that she was in a public place, with dark raven locks bundled messily in a ponytail, strand falling loose framing her delicate face. She closed her eyes for a minute, _resting_ she decided, not falling asleep.

She didn't mean her thoughts to linger to that conversation nearly a week ago. _You're his great love_, she said. _And I just can't compete with that._

She shifted her head so that she was facing down on the table and groaned wearily. That conversation has crept up to her more times than she would like to admit. And if she was going to be truthful, she wondered how Kaoru was at that very moment, what she did after that conversation, _what made her say those words._ She couldn't be more wrong after all. Rei's great love…

And there it was again, the image of him and his dark brown hair, his piercing chocolate eyes, that heart-melting smile, all flashing in her thoughts and no matter what she did, as long as her eyes were closed, she couldn't chase the image away. But she didn't open her eyes either. Something inside grew uncomfortable, her heart racing, aching, growing at the thought.

Just then an icy feeling crept up to the back of her neck causing her to jolt back in surprise, eyes wide open, the thoughts that bothered her gone. Looking for the source, she found a tall redheaded man wearing standing beside her at the edge of the table. He smiled gently, a little apologetic for "waking" her up. He held a canned bottle of iced coffee which Aya quickly guessed was what she felt touch her neck. She wore the look of surprise quite longer, his smile unwavering, until she came back to her senses.

"Shin!" she said finally. He took this as his cue to sit down in the chair opposite the lady doctor.

"Were you asleep?" she shook her head. "Sorry for that. But I couldn't resist," he gave an innocent laugh sticking his tongue out mischievously. "Anyway, how did your surgery go? You looked exhausted."

She sighed, smiling meekly. "Well, it was a success. Dr. Umemiya was amazing, as usual. But I was shaking a whole lot so she got mad at me, she didn't let me do much after that."

He smile still stuck on his face, sympathetic to was the young intern was going through. "Attendings are always hard on the interns. That's their job. That's how you learn. They don't expect you to be good in your first year."

"It's really scary. It has been really scary. Having a body open up like that in front of you, holding the fate of your patient, his life, in your hands, I just… I know all that but…"

"No, none of those self-doubt," he said quickly, interrupting her and reading her like a book. "Nobody said it was easy! Anything in life worth having isn't easy… or it goes something like that."

"Nothing worth having comes easy, huh?" she repeated. Her mind was drifting away before he pulled her back again.

"We are still talking about surgery?" he smiled knowingly. She looked at him and his eyes seemed to see through her so she flushed and looked down to her lap. "It's okay, you know?"

She looked up back at him, unsure of what his words meant, still flushed.

"If it's not me, it's okay." He smile faltered a little, but he still kept it on, gentle as usual. "But it doesn't mean I'm not gonna try, Aya."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the way he looked at you, last week? And I can tell from the way you moved. He's that guy, right? Your baggage from the past?" She didn't reply, but she didn't need to. The fact that her face reddened some more gave it all away. "It's okay if it's still him, Aya."

"Shin, it's not…"

He shook his head gently. "It's hard to move on from someone you've loved that long. But," he said, this time his eyes more stern. "I'm not going down without trying, Aya. And until you tell me it's still him, I'm going to try. I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily."

He stood up, placing the canned coffee in front of her and offered her a warm smile to which she blushed. His words left her with nothing to say, tongue thick and heavy.

"Take care of yourself, okay? And next time you assist in a surgery, do your best. You're a great doctor." And with those words he started to make his way to the exit of the cafeteria, and Aya could help but watch his retreating back, her face blushing red. For those moments, those moments when Shin's around, he manages to take all her attention away from _him_.

* * *

It never ceases to amaze them how regal the Honda mansion is with its golden adornments, the big crystal chandeliers in the middle of almost all common rooms in the mansion, the throne-like chairs and couches in red and violets ensembles, and the grand staircase that seems plucked out of a typical fairytale kingdom. The three ladies never realized just how affluent Mami was until they became close enough to be invited to her mansion all those years back. They also realized just how long ago it was since they visited her.

They were asked to wait in one of the living rooms, the more enclosed one. It was a familiar part of the house since the entire gang would all spend their times there together when Mami invited them over, since boys weren't allowed to go to her room.

It was Ran who gathered them together to go and visit Mami after her impromptu encounter with Tatsuki, the small guilty feeling that stayed in the pit of her stomach after their conversation. The three of them, after all, are the only ones who knew that Mami has been back for a month now. It wasn't like they wanted to hide it from Yuuya, they really did want to tell him, but she didn't want to see him yet so that just might hurt the former second placer even more. It wasn't like they always get to see Mami either since she is so elusive, most of the time ignoring their calls and texts.

She enters the room wearing a long maxi dress and an expression she has word ever since she had come back to Japan – an expression of weariness and loneliness. Which makes the girls all the more confused as to why she just doesn't show himself to him.

"You're all here," was her greeting. Her voice was tired, she probably has been in the office the whole day, and burying herself in work she left behind two months ago. Her face is also pale, the total opposite of her bridal glow that followed her around months ago.

The way her voice sounded really ticked Ran off for some reason. It was her own fault she was feeling this way after all. She should know, she's been there. "Mami," Ran began as Mami took her seat in one of the chairs while Miyu and Aya took to the couch, and she remained standing beside Mami. "You don't look so good."

Mami sighed wearily. "It's not very polite to insult the owner of the house, Ran."

Ran's lips formed a thin line, holding back her tongue.

So Miyu began to speak in her soft and motherly voice. "Mami, you've been here for a month now. Don't you have any plans of—"

"I do!" Mami covered her hands over her face as she cut her friend off md-sentence. "I do."

"When?" Ran asked sternly. "We've tolerated you being back for a while now but not showing yourself to Yuuya or talking to him. But it's been a _month_."

Mami clenched her fists, her knuckled turning whiter than her porcelain skin. "Don't be a hypocrite, Ran!" She looked at Ran almost venomously taking Ran by surprise when the latter was about to say something. "I will talk to him, I just need to do it in my own time."

Ran considered for a moment what she was about to say, setting aside the little offense she took from her words. "I'm not trying to be a hypocrite," she says this, this time softly. "But I've been where you are so I know that the longer you wait the harder it will be to fix things. You don't want to reach that point, Mami. You don't want to reach the point where you wonder if there is even anything you can still fix."

Mami took her gaze away from Ran a little irritably.

"She's right." Aya scooted closer to Mami so she can grab the heiress' hand and hold it in between hers reassuringly. "Mami, Yuuya was a wreck for a month after you left. He didn't care about his health or even his hygiene, and all he wanted was you, to hear you, to see you, to make things right with you." The words slowly ate at Mami's heart for she knew them to be true. "But lately he's been getting back to normal, goes to work to run his bar, he goes out to hang with the boys, and lately… Lately he stopped mentioning your name."

Mami's eyes shot up, the fear and worry settling in and the tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"Mami, if he finds out you've been back all along and waited all this time, I don't know that—"

"You all talk about it like he's the only one who's suffered," she said taking her hand back from Aya and cutting off Miyu once again. "He's not the only one who feels like a wreck, who feels like they lost a part of their being and whose heart broke to a million different pieces!" This time she raised her voice, tears already far from being held back. "_I_ was in pain. He hurt me too. I needed to get away so, why?"

The three friends dared not to say anything, feeling like they've really hit s nerve this time.

"Why is it that you all think he won't be able to forgive me for _this_? Why can't he when he also hurt me? I just needed some time to think about _my _future and how it might not possibly be what I hoped it would be. And I just needed some time alone to realize that it didn't matter to me because I'll take any future I can get as long as he was in it." The tears wouldn't stop flowing and her words were out there before she can stop them. Her breathing hitched, her cheeks flushed from the frustration she felt, and before she realized it Aya came to hug her, and her friends were in tears as well. "Why?" Her words were so soft that if the room wasn't as quiet as it was, they would have missed her next words. "He has to forgive. He has to."

**End of Chapter**


	15. Chapter 15

Hello! Thanks for the wait. It's been the busiest, most tiring month of my life, but here's the next chapter as promised. Big Aya/Rei moment coming up here! Hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Parties**

It wasn't as she'd expected it to be. The brown wooden tables, which were ordinarily stained with spilled soup and sake, were covered by white cloths with laced trims, the centerpieces were pots of purple and yellow hydrangeas, there were standing tables and a pace in the center that was unoccupied by anything. The hearty smell of ramen that would normally stick to customers' clothes were gone and replaced by fresh smell of flowers, and the sticky floorboards were mopped spotless.

When Aya entered Tatsuki's restaurant, it was like she was transported to a whole different place. The effort that the ramen store owner placed in the event he was hosting that evening was very much evident, and it was no wonder that why he asked them to "dress up" (she initially felt apprehensive in dressing up with a nice dress only to end up smelling like oily ramen).

Aya was greeted by Tatsuki and Suzura, whose baby blue cocktail dress with a bubble bottom and yellow pumps made her pale white skin even more evident. Tatsuki matched her dress with a navy blue suit ensemble and a bowtie to complete the look.

"Oh, Tasukichi!" She welcomed Tatsuki's greeting with a hug. "You did a wonderful job with this party! I barely recognize your ramen shop."

Aya let him go, and the blushing chef scratched the back of his head in a humbling gesture. "Thanks, Aya-ppe. That was the goal! I'm glad you think it looks nice."

"It's beautiful," she corrected, giving a warm smile to the host and Suzura.

She was directed to go inside and she quickly found Yamato and Miyu who were one of the early comers. The restaurant was starting to be filled up by some of Tatsuki's friends and relatives, or at least that's whom she thinks they were since she didn't recognize most of them. Aya took her seat beside Miyu who had complimented her in her pastel yellow thigh-length chiffon cocktail dress with a halter neckline. Aya returned the compliment in kind. Miyu wore a teal, tube jumpsuit with an intricate gold necklace as her main accessory.

It wasn't long until Yuuya, in his grey coat and tie, had arrived and joined them, shortly followed by Ran, whose mood was rather solemn. The rest of her table mates had suspected that it was due to the presence of Tatsuki's girlfriend.

"Are you okay, Ran?" Aya asked in a whisper to Ran who had taken her seat beside Aya. She squeezed her friend's arm in a comforting manner.

Ran turned to her, thinking before speaking. "Yeah." Her whisper was soft as well. "I won't lie that Suzura being here isn't bothering me, but she is Tatsuki's girlfriend." She looked down at her hands that played with the cloth of her red dress. "I know that a couple of good moments with him doesn't bring us back to where we were before. But, it also doesn't mean that I should give up just yet, right?"

She looked at her friends for reassurance and the generously gave it by giving her a small smile. Aya reached out to hold her hand and squeezed it, and Ran finally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding on to all this time.

"Well, I, for one, am looking forward to some dancing tonight." Yuuya's attempt to change the mood got the rest looking at the empty area at the center. "So, I hope you beautiful ladies would spare me a chance later on to take you on to the dance floor." He was grinning in that charming way he always did, especially back then when they were in high school.

"Ah, Yuuya. Ever the flirt," Ran said in jest, completely changing her tone from the last time she spoke, making the others laugh with her.

"Hey!" Yuuya feigned offense. "The only one I ever tried to win over by flirting was you. Yet you totally blew me off."

Ran stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Well that's what you get when you flirt with someone as dense as a rock!" Miyu chimed in, chuckling.

Yuuya shrugged. "Yep, all you get out of your efforts is an empty wallet and some guy appearing out of nowhere to steal the girl who you thought was the girl of your dreams."

"Hey!"

They were all laughing, in a way that they haven't for a long while now, a problem affecting the entire group appearing now and then, challenging them, shaking the foundation of their friendship. It was only then that Aya realized that maybe, just maybe, their friendship will survive this all.

"Hey, hey! Where's all this laughter coming from?" As the laughter slowly died down, the members of the table saw Tatsuki standing behind Yuuya, his arm slung over the former number two's shoulder. He was followed by a certain dark brown-haired man, his hands in the pockets of his slacks while his black coat hung around his arm. "Care to share?"

"Tatsuki! Rei!" Miyu cheered at their arrival. Rei took his seat beside between Yuuya and Yamato.

Brown eyes met dark ones, and the unexpected interaction sent a rush if blood up Aya's cheek. He was as handsome as ever, wearing a button-up white polo that showed off his broad torso, and his brown hair neatly waxed back with a few bangs falling on the sides, giving him such a clean look. And it didn't help that he wouldn't take his eyes off of her despite her evident blushing. Something told her his eyes had so much it wanted to say, so her mind wandered off once again to Kaoru's words weeks ago.

It wasn't until Miyu spoke that their trance broke. "Nothing, we were just making fun of Yuuya and Ran! Anyway, Tatsukichi! Why are you keeping us all here anyway?"

Tatsuki put a finger to his lips, winking at Miyu. "Soon, I promise! But first, enjoy some dinner, okay?" And with that he left to entertain the other guests.

"I didn't know Tatsuki had so much family members." Yamato scanned his eyes across the room, pointing out that there were so many people he did not recognize.

"I don't think they're all family members. I don't recognize them from before," said Ran realizing that there were so many unfamiliar faces that weren't even invited when she was planning the wedding.

"Maybe they're business related guests?" Miyu offered.

Yuuya noticed Rei ignoring the entire conversation as the latter leaned his cheek to the palm of his hand as his elbow rested on the table. "So, mind telling me what's up? You know what's going down today, don't you?"

Rei looked at his best friend lazily. "Even if I do, which I don't, I wouldn't be allowed to tell you."

"Spill it." Yuuya noticed the uncomfortable way his friend shifted away from him.

"Stop asking."

Yuuya narrowed his gaze, and Aya eyed the two from her seat until Miyu squeezed her arm and asked her if she wanted to get some food on the buffet table, Yamato and Ran already making their way there. She smiled at Miyu indicating her affirmance, but as she stood up and began walking to the buffet area at the far side of the room, she heard part of the conversation between the best friends.

"Stop," Rei said in hushed annoyance. "I can't tell you. But if you want to be helpful to someone tonight, I suggest you look after Ran."

Yuuya gave a confused look, but later on came to realize the implications of Rei's words which still left Aya confused. But as he noticed the two getting up from their seats, she continued to walk towards Miyu faster. As she walked, she slowly put the pieces together, with the throwing of the rather big party, the announcement that was yet to come, and the words left Rei's mouth. Her strides came to a stop when Miyu stopped in her tracks as well as the latter spun around, taking Aya by the arm and pulling her towards the now nearly empty corner.

"Miyu! What's wrong?" Aya asks, arching her eyebrow.

Miyu placed a finger to her lips, indicating that Aya should keep her voice lowered. "I just received a text message, here."

Miyu held up her mobile phone to show a thread of messages between her and another person, the last message just arrived a few minutes earlier. Aya carefully read the message, reading the line thrice to make sure she understood correctly. "What? She's coming now?" Aya placed a hand on her forehead.

"Yeah… Do you think she should?"

Aya took a while to answer, processing everything slowly. "I'm… not sure. But, Miyu," she said, the worry evident in her voice.

"Yeah?" Miyu looked at her dark-haired friend curiously.

"I have a bad feeling about tonight." Her voice was soft, hiding something she obviously wants to share with her friend but at the same time she knows she shouldn't.

"Why? What are you talking about?"

Aya shook her head, biting her lower lip. "To be honest, I'm not sure. But I think Tatsu—"

"Oi, Miyu, Aya!" Nearly jumping in surprise, they turn around to find the source of the voice, and it was their corn-haired colored friend coming toward them, a plate of food in hand. "What's all this secret conversation happening here?"

"Um… nothing, nothing, Yuuya!" Miyu raised her arms defensively as she put on a strained smile. "We were just having some… you know, um, girl talk. The usual."

Aya laughed along with her nervously. "Ah, I see." Yuuya seemed to accept the explanation as he turned around, but not before saying, "Anyway, get your food already, okay?" Yuuya retreated to the table and the rest of the guests were slowly returning to their own seats as well prompting the two ladies to go to the buffet table and get their food leaving their conversation unfinished.

* * *

They have mostly finished their dinner with Miyu constantly checking her phone to check for a reply that hasn't come since her last message nearly an hour ago.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She felt a warm hand over hers that was holding the phone saw that her husband was giving her a suspicious look. "You've been anxious since you came from the buffet line."

She shook her head animatedly, almost too fast. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about me, honey."

Yamato narrowed his eyes knowingly but let it go, knowing that if it was important enough to concern him, she would tell him. But he also noticed the rather heavy atmosphere emanating from Yuuya, similar to the anxiety that Mami gave off. He has caught the corn-haired man stealing stares from Tatsukichi, following his movements around the room and sometimes he would take short glances at Ran.

He saw Aya turn to Ran, telling her in nearly a whisper, "Ran, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Ran, who just about finished yet another plate, grinned guiltily at her doctor friend. "Can it wait? Right now I think I need to go to the comfort room. Like, right now." Not waiting for a response, Ran stood up, dusting the crumbs of her dress and quickly made her way to the ladies room.

Just as she was out of earshot, there was a series of clanking noises that was coming from the center of the room. When they all turned to look, Tatsuki was holding a champagne glass and a fork, obviously used to gather everyone's attention. Under the spotlight, his navy blue suit more evident.

He coughed a couple of times nervously after he set the glass and fork down on the table nearest him. "Well… Um… I don't really know where to start." He scratched the back of his head good-naturedly. "I'm not one to make big speeches, ask my friends over there, I've only done like – I don't know, 2 in my entire life? But I guess today is an exception. Well, not really an exception, more like a third exception? Does that count? Anyway... So I want to thank you all for coming." Everyone in the room gave a small round of applause which only boosted his confidence to continue. "I know that most of you don't know why I gathered you all here today… I hope you don't know! That would ruin the whole point of it being a big announcement. And well that would just suck—"

"Get on with it already!" Tatsuki heard his brother, Naoki, jeer from behind him, making the older brother blush after realizing just how long he was rambling.

"Yes, yes. Sorry about that." He took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. "Well, the real reason you're here to day is because, well… I'm in a great place in my life right now. It has been a rough couple of years, a roller coaster even. And I don't know how or when, but suddenly life started to turn around for me. But I know that it wasn't possible if it weren't for someone special. And—Hold on a minute, everyone."

Before continuing he rushed to the table behind him, grabbing a lady in a baby blue cocktail dress and brought her with him back to the spotlight.

"This is Suzura, everyone. The woman who has brought me the sun when I was in the middle of a storm that was my life," he said jokingly. "She is also my fiancée." The blond blushed, facing down on the floor as the man beside him taking her hand and raising for everyone to see the humble diamond ring that shone under the light wrapped around her dainty finger.

Cheers started to erupt from around the room! Congratulatory words thrown in the air along with some whistles and jabs for the couple to kiss, something which Tatsuki did not shy away from as he gently grabbed his fiancée by the waist, making her turn to face him, her face still flushed but smiling, and he leaned in for a kiss.

While the men joined in on the clapping, Rei, Yuuya and Yamato sharing their friend's happiness that radiated in the room, Miyu and Aya shared a dreaded look. Turning around to see if Ran was nearby, Miyu quickly spotted the corn-hair leaning frailly on the frame of the entrance to the main dining hall, evidently in shock. Closing her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks, she turned away and went straight for the exit.

"Ran!" Miyu stood up quickly silently gesturing to Aya that it's fine, she'll handle it. Everyone else on the table quickly turned to see their friend, realizing what the news must have meant to her.

"Shit." Yuuya remembered Rei's words and how she should have looked after Ran. But as he went to stand up and follow Miyu, Rei placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"Let Miyu handle this for now."

And as the crowds continued to give the couple their blessings, making their way to the middle of the room to hover over the newly engaged couple, the sounds have drowned out the sounds of the heart of the former super gal breaking and the muffled sound of her tears.

* * *

"Congratulations, Tatsukichi, you secretive bastard, you!" Yuuya grabbed Tatsuki by the neck and grappled him to be able to mess his perfectly placed hair. Despite the shock of the news and knowing that another friend was hurting out there, he was still happy for his friend remembering the joy being newly engaged gave him before.

"Congrats, Tatsukichi!" smiled Aya.

Releasing himself from the grip of his friend, Tatsuki responded to their congratulations with a smile that went from ear to ear. "Thanks, you guys!" Yamato extended an arm which Tatsuki took and the former pulled him in to a short embrace. Rei did the same, minus an affectionate hug.

"You have no idea what you being here means to me. Thank you!" He scratched the back of his head. "Well, that makes two of these already for you guy so I guess that makes us—"

"Friends for too long. Far too long," Rei said earning him a friendly slap on the back from the groom-to-be. But he supposed he had to thank Rei for that seeing as how his other friends made the slightest flinch when the words came out of his mouth. Perhaps ordinarily he wouldn't have paid to much attention, but he was looking for someone amongst his crowd of friends whom he couldn't find.

He decided to let go of his search and instead grabbed onto the two men to his sides, putting each of his arms around their shoulders. "More like buddies for life!"

"Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Rei tried to release himself from Tatsuki's grasp, but the other wouldn't budge, and Yuuya allowed himself to be hugged by Tatsuki in that manner, letting the groom-to-be have his moment.

It's not like he didn't wonder where Miyu and Ran went, of course he did. They are his friends, after all, and he wanted them there with him, with the rest of them celebrating together and sharing joyous moments like they used to. But maybe, he realized, this was too much to ask for when it comes to Ran, and that's why, deep down, he already knew where she was and what she was doing. And he did not need any confirmation (or cover-up) by asking the question.

"So do you two have a date already?" Yamato inquired as Tatsuki finally took his arms back to himself and the other two friends fixed their collars. Behind Tatsuki, Suzura herself was being crowded over by her own set of friends and relatives, eager to give their own congratulations and ask wedding-related question to the bride-to-be.

Tatsuki shook his head. "No, actually. But I'll leave most of the planning to her."

"Alrighty, then you can leave most of the planning for your bachelor party with us!" Yuuya point his thumb toward himself, puffing his chest.

"Oh no," Tatsuki's face fell. "Not again. I don't think I can go through one of your bachelor parties again, Yuuya."

Aya raised an eyebrow. "Why? What happened last time?"

Rei shook his head. "You don't want to know." Suddenly his face turned pale. "Shit. I'm going to puke just thinking about what happened last time."

"Huh? What happened?"

Yamato grabbed Aya's shoulders. "Aya, I'm telling you. For the sake of your sanity and innocence, don't ask."

"Hey!" Yuuya furrowed his eyebrows, taking offense at how badly they were remembered the bachelor party his generously and thoughtfully through Tatsuki. "You guys just don't know how to appreciate a good ol' bachelor party. And just so we're clear, Aya, it was a great party!"

"I don't think that's how the rest of the boys remember it." It was a voice that came from behind the crowd, a shrill voice that was all too familiar, and it made the rest of them freeze from where they stood.

"M-Mami!" Aya saw Mami coming in from behind Yuuya, Tatsuki and Rei.

All the boys turned at once to see the source of the voice, and just as Aya had said, there she was, dressed in a simple nude colored dress, the person Yuuya was probably least ready to see. And it was evident from the way he stood there, frozen more than anyone, unable to pull an anchor in reality as the woman slowly took calculated steps nearer to their group. Before he knew it, she was standing in front of her, looking into his eyes, and she was as beautiful as she remembered her, but his voice was stuck to his throat.

Unable to stand the silence, Mami turned to Tatsuki. "Congratulations on your engagement, Tatsukichi."

Tatsuki also had his tongue frozen until Yamato slapped him on the back. "O-oh. Yes! I mean… thank you, Mami! It's been… a long time."

"Y-you're…" Yuuya mumbled, so softly almost no once could hear it, except that most of them were paying very close attention to Yuuya's reaction, especially Mami. "You're back."

* * *

Aya sighed as she watched the dance floor slowly being used by a couple here and there and the blue backlight falling upon it creating a romantic ambiance to match the songs that played in the background. She didn't know how she was left alone at her table, or how she let herself be alone. Yuuya and Mami decided to talk and Tatsuki offered his office at the back of the restaurant for them to talk privately. Tatsuki went back to entertaining guests with his fiancée. Yamato decided that it was taking too long for Miyu to talk to Ran so he decided to check up on them, but Yamato told her to just stay put since he'd have to look for them first.

At first, she was worried about being left alone with Rei, not knowing what to say to him after what happened with Kaoru. But then he'd taken a look at him and found his chocolate eyes staring right at her with an expression she can't quite read and suddenly all her thoughts went out the window, and Yamato has left to find them leaving her there with Rei.

He had left for a while, going back to the drinks station, her eyes following his movements until she realized what she was doing. She took a deep breath as she let her face fall on top of her arms that lay cross on top of the table, the plates having been cleaned out a long time ago.

She had closed her eyes, listening to the song that was playing in the background. Mindlessly she started humming to it even though it was a song she wasn't quite familiar with. A small thud on the table brought her out of her thoughts, opening her eyes she saw a glass of iced tea in front of her and Rei had already taken his seat beside her taking a sip from a bottle of beer he got for himself.

"You haven't drank at all tonight so I figured you don't plan to drink at all. Iced tea?" He placed his beer bottle on the table but his hand played with the neck of the bottle as he stared at her still big eyed and surprised and head laid down on the table.

She blinked a few times before getting her composure back. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, tucking some stray strands of hair, and grabbed the drink he had brought back for her. "Y-yeah… thanks." The doctor quietly took a sip and after placing the glass back down, both her hands remained around the glass while she stared at the droplets that formed outside the glass. She felt his eyes follow her movements, or the little ones she made.

"How are you?" He was the first to break the silence and she turned her head too quickly. He was looking at his hand this time while it fiddled with the beer bottle.

"Um…" She stuttered a little, surprised. "Well, you know. I've been busy at the hospital as usual. Us interns have to put in the hours if we want to learn and get better." She gave out a small chuckle, turning away, trying to sound positive despite the obvious weariness in her voice.

It was then that she felt his gaze fall upon her once again and she felt unable to move, afraid that if she looked into his eyes, she'll see something and feel something she shouldn't. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard, you know. Your eyes are so puffy which probably means you barely had enough sleep. Don't overdo yourself, Aya."

She blushed, and she was sure he could see her turn pink despite the dark lighting of the place. Hearing him say her name just made her heart race, and she doesn't understand why. It was like she was back to those days in the final year of high school and she can't help it, she had to look at his face.

And just as she thought, in his eyes painted concern, sincere and honest concern for her, and it made her heart skip a beat. It made her blush even more, and for a moment she was lost in his beautiful brown eyes, warm and familiar.

She blinked a few more times before putting her gaze back to her glass of iced tea realizing no words were coming out of her mouth. "Yeah you're probably right. What good is a tired doctor to a patient, right?" She forced a laugh before taking a big gulp of her drink, feeling the heat radiating from her face. "What about you, Rei? How have you been?"

"Ah," he said with an air thoughtfulness." Actually I… I don't know how to answer your question exactly." His tone was rather pensive, and his answer surprised her enough to make her take a look at him, and instead of meeting brown eyes she found him staring at couples dancing on the dance floor, his body leaning forward, his chin resting on the palm of his right hand.

"Why? Did something happen lately?" she asked almost instantly, curious.

"You could say that," was all he said.

She didn't know if she should prod, then again, she didn't know if she wanted to know what was wrong with him either. "Well, I guess life got us again, huh?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, a brow arched.

She smiled at him for not understanding what she meant. "Look," she said as her eyes moved from him to Tatsuki dancing on the center of the room, his fiancée's head resting on his chest. "Tatsukichi just got engaged. Again. Who would've thought, right?" He chuckled, and she felt some tinge of pleasure for being able to do so. "And Ran… well, I'm sure this is a huge blow on her. Mami ran away and now she's back, just when Yuuya's starting to be his self again."

"And Kaoru and I broke up." He said it like it was a perfect fit to her sentence, completing the irony with a chug of his beer. But despite his casual tone, she was completely taken aback at the sudden revelation and her face gave it away. But he didn't look at her, and she's learned that he wouldn't talk about it even if she asked.

There was a momentary pause, the both of them looking on to the happy couple taking the center of the dance floor, the spotlight on them, and the crowd cheering. "Life just keeps on throwing curve balls at us. It just doesn't stop for anyone, does it?"

"Life? It sure doesn't," he said quietly. "But that's why, we have to keep up with life. We can't keep going back to the past, we have to move on, keep up. Or we'll never find our way."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"How do you suppose we try to keep up?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell you when I find out. How does that sound?"

She turned to him, surprised to see him looking at her already with warm eyes that matched the small curve forming on his lips. She smiled unconsciously. "You think you'll figure it out soon?"

He chuckled. "I hope so."

"Well, I hope you do."

"And while we wait," he paused, causing her to look at him with a brow raised. "What do you say to a dance?"

"What?" she asked almost incredulously.

But he was already standing up, fixing the creases on his dress shirt and extending his left hand to her.

"You don't know how to dance, Rei, if I remember correctly."

"Yes I do," he said, unperturbed by her accusation. "I just never dance."

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"One dance, Aya." Suddenly his eyes turned a warm color, almost melting her in her seat. He raises his hands in surrender. "If I even step on your toes once, I promise to stop."

She smiled, taking a deep breath, and extended her hand to take his. The sudden feel of his touch as he closed his fingers on her left the hairs on her arm standing. He pulled her up and they started to walk to the dance floor, hands locked.

There were a handful of couples dancing to the romantic song that was playing and he took her to a spacious spot on the left side of the room and he turned to face her. She gulped at the sight of him, almost breathless from how handsome he looked under the lighting of the dance floor. It didn't help that his right hand was now tracing her left arm, close but not touching, until he reached her hand and held it.

If he felt the same shivers as she did, it did not show, but his eyes were solely locked on hers. He placed her left hand on his right shoulder, slowly removing his fingers from her touch and she felt her fingers slightly less warm from when they in contact with his. He then placed his hand on her lower back and she eyed him suspiciously. He chuckled, as, slowly his hand made its way up, just below her arm, leaving a tingling feeling on Aya on each place his hand touched.

"I do know how to dance." He reassured her with a grin while his left hand raised the right hand of the raven-locked woman and he took a step forward, his face now inches away from hers.

She laughed, her eyes bright. "Do I look that scared?"

From furrowed brows to blushed cheeks, she stood there speechless at his sudden actions for now he was slowly taking the lead, taking another step forward as she took a step back, following the slow beat of the music. She doesn't even register that they are now moving across the room, step for a step, beat for a beat, she barely even remembers that there are other pairs dancing around them. Aya only takes note of the way his right hand lets go of his grip on her back and how his left hand raises her right to lead her to take a swirl, but her eyes never leave his.

And it was as if the world disappeared again once his hand catches her, and his face is even closer that the last time, and her chest is so close to his that if she was thinking straight she would have sworn that he could hear her heart beating.

She knows she's blushing from the heat she was feeling on her cheeks but she didn't feel like looking anywhere but his eyes. So even when the music stops she doesn't look away, and it was like the room was still spinning—or was it her head— even though they've stopped dancing.

"Aya," he says, voice low.

She almost doesn't register that he's spoken if she wasn't focused on the movement of his face. But still no words were coming out of her mouth, and she only realizes now just how real close the proximity between the two of them were, their foreheads nearly touching.

"I want to start over."

She blinks as his words set in.

"I want to start over with you."

"Rei…"

He sees the confusion in her eyes and takes his left hand to cup her cheek, her thumb brushing over her lips, and his touch causing the woman to turn into a scarlet red.

"You don't have to say anything," he says with gentleness. "I just want you to know, I want to start over with you. And I want to do it right this time. So it's fine, take your time to think and process this. Go and date whoever you want, even that doctor from last time. I just wanted to make my intentions clear."

He looked at her eyes that had already grown big in surprise.

He grinned. "I'm going to win you over again, you'll see. I'll be better this time, _we'll _be better this time."

The shock from his sudden declaration had made her throat drier than ever, her movements frozen, and her heart skipping a beat every now and then that she doesn't even notice how he places a peck on her forehead.

He lets go, and suddenly there's an empty feeling from where his touch used to be.

"Rei, wait—"

"Yuuya, please listen to me!"

Before Aya could even say what she wanted, she was stopped by the heiress' scream as the corn-haired man had appeared in the hallway.

"Just stop it, Mami." His voice was cold. Not long after did Mami follow grabbing Yuuya's arm, tears streaming down her lovely face. "I never knew you could hurt as much as you did."

He yanked his arm off, causing a wailing Mami to sit on her calves, head buried in her arms. "—uya, I'm s-so sor—. I-I love you," she muttered in between sniffs.

"This isn't what you do to people you love, Mami. You don't intentionally put them through pain and make them suffer alone, and then just show up thinking everything is okay."

"Yuuya!"

But he doesn't heed and he walks away, leaving Mami alone.

Aya felt a hand grab her arm, and she turns to see Rei still there. "I'll go follow Yuuya, take care of Mami."

She nods as he runs off to chase his friend and she grabs a shawl to put over the heiress. "Mami," she says as she rubs her shoulders. Tatsuki and Suzura had urged the onlookers to go back to their seats so as not to put Mami in any more an embarrassing situation than she has found herself in. "Let's get you home, okay?"

**End of Chapter**


	16. Chapter 16

_Hello! It's me again! I'm surprised that I got to finish this chapter in less than a month but I was inspired to write faster by you wonderful readers! To those who felt that Yuuya shouldn't have reacted the way he did in the last chapter, well, I needed him to and it is all explained here! I can feel this story slowly coming to a close, which excites me. I wrote this chapter hoping to build up some more AyaxRei action and feels, I hope you feel them too. If there are any grammatical errors, sorry! I only did one proof-reading so I can upload it already._

_To be honest there's this GALs! AU fic I've been thinking about, it's in the planning process, but it's exciting me more than this story. Which is bad, because I really want to wrap this up. But I will finish this one for sure. Leave some reviews and feedback, it really does help me move my ass to work. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 16: Dates and Kisses**

"Where is he?"

The manager nodded over his shoulder. "He's been working non-stop all day and after we closed he's been there at the bar drinking. He says we can go and that he'll close up the restaurant, but…"

Tatsuki put a hand on the young manager's shoulder completely understanding the situation, giving him a reassuring look. "We'll take it from here."

And with that, the manager went on his way while Rei and Tatsuki made their way to the bar, each taking a seat beside their drinking friend who did not bother to look at the arrival of his company. Rei wasn't able to catch up to Yuuya that night and he wasn't able to reach him on his phone either, and instead he helped Aya bring the distraught Mami home before bring the doctor home himself.

Mami didn't speak a word over what transpired between the two of them, but Yuuya left pretty furiously so something must have happened. Aya brought her into the mansion were she was assisted by Mami's house help and he noticed that Mami whispered something to Aya which caught the latter by surprise, but they did not speak of it either on the car ride to her apartment. In the morning, he still couldn't reach Yuuya so he opted to call the restaurant, and to his pleasant surprise, Yuuya did show up for work.

Rei went behind the counter to get him and Tatsuki a glass and helped themselves to the bottle of whiskey that Yuuya was sporting.

"Whiskey?" inquired Tatsuki. "I thought we were the get-drunk-on-beer kind of friends."

"Need to pull out the strong one for this, guys," the corn-haired man said, his speech just a little bit slurred. "Beer won't numb my feelings as fast as whiskey."

They didn't say a word, and instead Yuuya continued to speak. "Sorry, Tatsukichi."

Tatsuki craned his neck to take a better look at the solemn looking restaurateur whose words he did not quite get. "Sorry? For what?"

"For making a scene at your party. That wasn't… like me."

"Ahhh…" understood the ramen-shop owner. "Don't worry about it, pal. Nobody even remembers it."

"You're lying."

Tatsuki laughed nervously as he scratched his head.

"Ah, but most of my family and Suzura's don't even know who you are, so nothing to fret!"

"But what was that about, Yuuya?" asked Rei who stayed behind the counter.

Tatsuki looked at him wide-eyed. The plan was to ease into the events that transpired last night, not delve into it headfirst. Rei simply ignored his glare that followed.

"Did you know what I felt when I saw her?" he asked rhetorically. "Oh god, my heart skipped a beat. It was like this sense of relief, you know? She's here, and she's alive, I said to myself. And all that shit I told you about?" He looked at Rei, his eyes were red and puffy, he was obviously crying all day. "The one about not being sure about being able to forgive and all that crap? Well, I was almost so sure I was ready to take her in my arms if she just told me she missed me, that she's back for good. Because, god, I love her. That thing that happens in movies where suddenly everything's okay, and the couple just falls into each other's arms, that's all bullshit."

He took one big gulp of his whiskey before pouring himself a fresh batch.

"So you wanted to forgive her… but you didn't," summarized Rei.

"I was going to, but she stopped me."

"What? Why?" Tatsuki was now facing him completely, eyes full of concern and curiosity, as this bit of information was a complete shocker.

There was a long pause. Yuuya stared at the glass of whiskey, slowly twirling it around with his wrist so that the iced would create clanking noises as it hit the sides of the glass.

"She kissed someone else while she was away."

"She what?" Tatsuki rose from his seat, utterly surprised at the revelation, a little bit of anger forming inside him feeling some sort of betrayal for his friend. "She did what? Who? Why?"

Yuuya shook his head, unperturbed by his friend's reaction. "It was some friend she had in whatever city she ran away too… She has a lot of those, actually." He laughed hollowly before taking another sip. "I was never jealous of them, I had complete faith in her, complete and impenetrable faith." He took another sip. "But she said she was weak, and upset and vulnerable and—whatever. That she was confiding in her friend, and she was lonely and he kissed her and she kissed him back." He tightens his grip on his glass as the words had painfully come out of his mouth. "But— and here's what was supposedly the comforting part—it didn't mean anything and that it never went farther than one kiss."

He releases the grip he had on the class and his knuckles slowly gained its color back. "Funny right, how these things turn out?" He inquires with empty laughter in a tone that suggests he expected them to laugh with him. The two were quiet for a moment. He looks at their faces that were filled with pity. "Oh come on, it is funny!"

"Yuuya—"

"No, Tatsukichi. It is really, really, _really_ funny. This isn't where I thought I'd be two months ago. Two months ago I thought I'd be married to the love of my life, I'd be making her breakfasts in bed while I come home to freshly cooked dinners, that we'd be staying up late watching old Hollywood movies that she liked or making fun of those stupid reality tv shows that always comes up with the craziest new ideas, or having Sunday brunches at this French bakery across the condo we were planning to live in. _This_ is not where I thought I'd be."

He took another big gulp, finishing the contents of the glass before wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat jacket, leaning back on the bar stool he was sitting in.

"And when I saw her I actually thought that was all still possible."

"And it isn't anymore?" asked Rei knowingly.

Yuuya pressed his palms into his eyes as he let out a deep sigh. "Now, all I can think about is what she told me, about that guy while she was away. And how while I was here, hurting and missing her, she let herself be thrown into the arms of another—"

"Yuuya, I don't think that's what happened."

"So then why does it feel like it was, Rei?" Yuuya asked, not in an angry and hostile manner, but rather in a defeated voice, a voice of one who has given up and has lost reason to fight.

"Because you're hurting, Yuuya." said Tatsuki, putting a hand on his shoulder as a gesture of understanding. "And when you're hurting you feel like everything is against you."

Yuuya shook his head as he stared into his friend's eyes, tears threatening to fall from his own. "It hurts so much. This," he gestures to the center of his chest with closed fists, "—hurts so much. It hurt when she called off the wedding, even more when it she left, but not as much as now when she has returned."

* * *

He fumbles with his phone over a message he has been constructing and re-constructing over and over for the past couple of minutes and unsure about hitting send, while he completely blocks out the rest of world as he does so. Erasing a fully constructed message once more, he settle for a simple yet straight to the point one and hits the blue button before he could take any of it back.

_**hey. are u free for lunch?**_

Her reply came faster than he expected, and he feels more crestfallen than he should.

_**Lunch? Um… Actually I already have plans. And I can't leave the hospital, I'm still on-call. I'm so sorry!**_

_**stop saying sorry Aya. its fine that you arent free, i was only taking a chance that u are.**_

_**Oh. But still, I have a tendency to feel bad for saying no.**_

_**i know. anyway, how about dinner?**_

He waits for a reply while three dots blinking makes him uncharacteristically anxious.

"Rei! Are you even listening to me?" a shrill voice asks but he pays no attention to it, waving a hand dismissively, completely focused on the three dots that meant that a reply should be coming soon.

_**Um… I guess I could do dinner. I get out at 9pm tho. Are u sure u wanna have dinner that late?**_

_**if i want to make up for lost time with u then i guess i'm willing to have dinner that late. 9pm it is. i'll pick u up at the hospital.**_

_**Okay. :)**_

And she added that small emoticon, that's typically her, which is typically not him, but it makes him smile anyway.

"Rei!" the same shrill voice called out, this time adding a kick from under the table, taking him out of his world, and into the unexpected breakfast he agreed to go to, he forgets now why seeing as his companion might cause him to be injured right before the dinner that the Girl He Was Supposed To Win Back agreed to go to.

"Stop asking me. I'm really not going to tell you. If you're that curious, ask him yourself!" Rei said with unmasked annoyance, massaging his shin as he dips down under the table. "Or better yet, ask Mami."

Miyu frowned. "Don't you think that if I could, I would have already?" She had asked this small breakfast, her free time that day, to fish information from them after she heard from Aya what happened after she left the party to console Ran. The rest of the gang were invited too, but Aya had to be in the hospital early, and when Ran heard that Tatsuki was invited, she backed out, and Tatsuki couldn't go anyway but Ran still didn't show up.

"Just tell me already so I can help them!" Miyu leaned back on her seat, arms crossed, whining in a voice that Rei hasn't heard in a very long time, one that would probably resemble her own kindergarten students when they make a fuss over something that is being withheld from them. And while Yamato might find his wife's little tantrum endearing, Rei is regretting agreeing to this ambush by the minute.

"It's not my secret to tell, Miyu. They're big kids now, let them figure it out themselves." Rei's voice was stern which tells Miyu that she's really not going to get anything out of the engineer.

Miyu puffed her cheeks, and she typically isn't like this but there's just a helplessness about the entire situation of her friends that makes her restless, so Yamato soothes Miyu's back as he would a baby. "Rei's right, Miyu. Whatever it is they're going through, they're not ready to tell so let's not force it and let them solve their issues themselves."

Miyu lets out the air puffing her cheeks, and sighs. Her narrowed eyes soften and the fear she's been holding back is now evident in her golden orbs. "But what if they don't find their way back to each other?" She looks at Yamato as she normally does when she needs to find some reassurance in anything, because he's always been her rock, always.

"Honey, it still doesn't give us a right to meddle. If they don't then maybe it's just not for them." He gives her a smile, the one that tells her he's sorry but he has to be honest about the situation.

Miyu sighs heavily, knowing him to be right, and she rests her elbows on the table where they were having breakfast (they're actual food was already completely ignored in the course of their conversation), and she rests her cheeks on closed fists. "Ugh. I hate being this helpless when my friends need help."

"We know, we know." Yamato pulls the hand closest to him, forcing the closed fist to open so he can wrap his fingers in hers and squeezes them to make her feel better. She smiles in spite of herself and she squeezes back.

Rei interrupts the tender moment, unfazed by the slight public display of affection going on, noting that married life has not made them any less discreet from high school. "Anyway, how's Ran doing? I haven't heard from her since, you know, the engagement."

The subject of Ran and Tatsuki's engagement was a tender issue all in its own as the gang has been trying to resolve both issues one at a time. Miyu sighs as she remembers that night when Rei brings it up, and the sigh was all he needed to rate the gravity of the problem. "Well, she cried her heart out that night. But the last time I talked to her, which was some time yesterday, I think, she seemed to have pulled herself together. Maybe she's slowly accepting that Tatsukichi is now engaged to someone else?" Miyu sounded a little hesitant. "I don't know, really. I feel like she's just putting on a brave face right now."

"She did show up for work yesterday," Yamato pointed out before taking a sip of from the cup of coffee that was nearly forgotten.

And just as quickly as Miyu's eyes softened a little while ago, did her expression change from being deflated to indignation. Sitting up straight, she crosses her arms again, a little more dramatically, to make her feelings more evident. "I should give Tatsuki a piece of my mind! I told him to have closure with Ran not entertain her lingering feelings. Then he does this! I—"

"Does what exactly? Get engaged? To his girlfriend?" Rei challenges her as quickly as she starts her next her sentence, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. He leans over the round table from which they sat and Miyu, surprised at sudden interruption of Rei, shuts her mouth and held back whatever she wanted to say next. "Come on, Miyu. He tried his best to forgive Ran, and that was closure for him. That's what you, and any of us for that matter, wanted right? I'm sure he never intended to lead Ran on. He never did anything that would suggest that he wanted to get back together with Ran. He wasn't being unfair. Ran hoped for more because she was still in love with him, and did so at her own risk."

"But the way he acted—"

"Is just typical of him. Affectionate, friendly, sweet—that's always been Tatsukichi, that didn't change. And if he was that way toward Ran then wasn't he just trying to be like himself around her too?" He settles his elbow on the table and rests his chin on an open palm, still giving Miyu a stern look.

Miyu was slowly getting annoyed at the way Rei kept cutting her off, and being right, and she releases her arms from being crossed, and lets them lay limp on her lap. When it came to advising her friends, she was usually on the fair and rational side, so she was frustrated with herself for sounding so irrational now to Rei and Yamato. She wasn't usually like this. "Fine, when you put it that way I suppose…" she pauses, her eyes, falling into her hands, unable to look Rei in the eyes, before she mumbles, "I was being too harsh."

"He's happy, Miyu. Let's be happy for him," says Yamato, a lot more gently than the engineer, which makes Miyu feel a little better as she makes a slight nod in agreement.

* * *

Miyu still felt a little deflated as she makes her way to her next appointment that day, and to be honest, it was the one she wasn't looking forward to all day. She didn't get a chance to tell the boys of it earlier that morning since their conversation went into a whole different direction, but she initially hoped that could help her come up with a way to get her out of it.

But as she arrived at her destination, she wasn't quite expecting to see the corn-haired woman sitting in the quaint café outside the mall where she was meeting Suzura, and even more surprised that said women was not at all surprised to see her as she approached.

"Ran," she said with a hint of doubt. "You're here…?"

Miyu took a seat beside Ran who was looking displeased. "Yeah. I don't quite know why either."

"You mean…"

The former super gal nodded in exasperation. "Yeah. She called me too, asking if we could meet and go shopping today. She said you agreed to accompany her. And," she pauses momentarily, trying to remember that exact conversation. She shrugs, "I don't know, Miyu. I have no idea what force made me but before I knew it, I was agreeing to meeting up and spending an afternoon with her."

But before Miyu could reply, a voice called out, breathless and uneven, and from where they sat they saw a blonde rushing toward them. "Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late, it was really traffic on the way here from my work," she said as she caught her breathe. She smiled apologetically as she wiped traces of sweat from her forehead while fixing strands of her fringes that were pulled back and held together by a hair clip.

"It's fine," Ran said in a cool voice. "But maybe next time, if you're coming from work, you should probably factor in the traffic when setting a time to meet up."

Miyu gave Ran a knowing look, but the latter ignored it. "Ran, she wasn't that late." She turned to face Suzura who was still composing herself, and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Suzura, I arrived just a few minutes before you did."

"No, I was late," Suzura said apologetically. "And thanks for accompanying me to shop. I don't really have good taste and I usually play it safe when it comes to dressing up, so I'm glad that I have you guys with me today so I can get some input."

"You dress fine, Suzura." Miyu stood up, and fixed any crease on her skirt before grabbing her bag. "And um… Thanks for asking us out for a shopping day. Shall we start?"

Miyu subtly nudged Ran, who was definitely trying her best not to lock eyes with Suzura for too long. Ran took the hint and stood up as well and the three ladies entered the mall.

They went through several stores and tried on several outfits including dresses, tops, shoes, and make-up.

While she wasn't particularly trying to be difficult, Ran found herself snarkier than usual when it came to her comments or just on anything she had to say, particularly to Suzura. Although she told herself she wasn't purposely being mean, the words come out of her mouth before she can filter herself but she finds that she's not trying that hard to be tactful either. This behavior has earned a handful of glares from Miyu and patience from Suzura who either laughs off Ran's mean words in gentle chuckles or agrees with her in what Ran finds as irritating modesty.

"Ran, what the hell is wrong with you today?" Miyu asked one time during their shopping while Suzura went to the fitting room to try on a dress she picked out. It was clearly not a rhetorical question.

Ran shrugged, pretending not to know what she's being accused of. "What?"

"Why are you being so mean?" Miyu punctuated each word in a careful whisper.

"I'm not being mean. And it's not my fault if I found the last dress she tried on as… unflattering." She paused to carefully pick out her last word, her first attempt of the day to choose her words.

"If you were just going to have the emotional quantity of a teenaged girl on her period then you shouldn't have agreed to accompany Suzura today," Miyu said, exasperated. "Look, I know why you're acting the way you are, I really, really do. But if you weren't ready to handle _this_ then you shouldn't have come today."

Ran turned around, pretending to look at the rack of clothes, and Miyu took this as a sign that the former wasn't ready for some lecture wherein she already knows she's in the wrong. "While I am annoyed at Tatsukichi," and Miyu notices how Ran flinches at the mention of his name so she says her next words gently. "I have been made to realize, earlier, that he technically didn't get engaged to hurt you. And more so that Suzura didn't do anything to hurt you, not purposely. So she doesn't deserve this behavior from you."

Ran doesn't say anything for a while, but finally her shoulder drops and Miyu hears her heave a sigh. "I know that. And it annoys me more that I know that. But I don't know who to blame. And I need to blame someone, anyone really, for this pain that I feel here," and Miyu notices Ran lift an arm to her chest, "because if I blame myself for this too, then there's just so much for me already to hate myself for. Just how do I forgive myself for ruining the best thing that's ever happened to me?"

"Ran…" and Miyu was about to reach out to place a hand on her shoulder but she heard Suzura approach them.

"I think I'll be getting this yellow dress, I'm not particularly keen on this green one," she says when they're within earshot.

"Yeah. Yellow fits your skin tone well." Ran, who still hasn't turned to face them, wipes the tears that have streamed down her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and tries her best to make it sound even. "I'll just go to the rest room."

"Ran," calls out Miyu. But she starts to walk in another direction, careful not to let her face show.

"Um, I'll just pay for this while she goes to the rest room," informs Suzura who was a little taken aback from the unexpected compliment, unsure of what happened between the two ladies while she was in the dressing room

* * *

She should have cancelled, she thought. What was she thinking agreeing to an impromptu date after her working hours. Her hair was a mess, not to mention dry and flat from the long day it went through, so she had no choice but to pull it up into a loose bun and purposely let some strategic hair strands fall to make the messy bun look like it was intentional.

And her clothes. She had no other change of clothes than the ones she went to work with this morning, and they were working clothes, not going-out-on-a-date clothes. So she pulled out whatever accessories she had left in her locker accidentally from previous nights to put some life into her white long-sleeved polo and jeans, rolled up the sleeves and changed her flats into heels she had in her locker for emergency purposes.

Checking herself up in the mirror after applying some mascara and lip gloss, she heaved a sigh as she stared at herself. Why was she nervous anyway, she asked herself. Aya was annoyed with herself. Aya was annoyed with him and his kind-of public declaration of winning her over because it was giving all kinds of flutters in her stomach when her stomach had no business fluttering. She was supposed to be moving forward, with Shin maybe, or anybody, really, who was not Rei.

Yet here she found herself, getting ready for a date with the brown-haired engineer, because she agreed all too carelessly to that date, via text, pressing that send button too fast for second thoughts to kick in.

"It's just a date, Aya," she tells herself before later checking if she was alone in the intern's locker room. "A no-pressure, no-strings-attached date."

When she's convinced that she has mentally prepped herself enough, she finally leaves the room and heads for the lobby of the hospital where he said he'd pick her up. And true to his word, there he was sitting in one of the couches, looking casually cool in his long-sleeved sweater and jeans while he read a book intently, and already she feels her self-control wavering.

He doesn't see her as his attention was held by the literature he had, so he misses when she hesitates a few times as she approaches him. Her steps were slow but her eyes on him. She thinks this is a bad idea, going down that road again, a road where she has crashed and burned numerous times, and despite that she continues taking one foot over the other, making her way towards him.

She takes one final step. "Hey," she says.

He looks up, a little surprised on the interruption, and her dark orbs meet brown ones while a hint of a smile started to form on the sides of his lips. "Hey." He folds his book, completely disregarding the fact that he did not bookmark the page where he stopped reading, and stands up making Aya realize that there isn't much distance between them now. "Are you ready to go then?"

Slowly nodding in response, he starts walking, and the first step he takes in front of her makes her think that he walk going to walk straight to her. But he sidesteps, and she blushes. She's annoyed that he's still able to have that effect when he isn't even trying.

When she gets a grip of herself, she is reminded that she was going to tell him something. "Um— wait!"

This caused him to stop in his tracks, and he looks behind his shoulders to find her still standing where she was. "Yeah?" He slowly turns so that he now faces her.

"Um… How do I say this?" She mumbles at first, unable to look in his eyes. "I'm not really, um— presentable, at the moment, coming from a twelve-hour shift and all, so I really hope that you, uh, don't have anything fancy planned."

He cranes his neck as he studies her and she feels his eyes on her so she looks at her feet. He smiles at this but she doesn't see.

"Don't worry, I have just the perfect place I want to bring you to."

She raises an eyebrow but he resumes walking to the elevator to get to the parking lot, and she had no choice but to follow. Despite her initial reservations, she finds herself feeling a little more excited, and so she follows him, keeping the distance but making sure she is able to catch up.

When he said 'perfect place' she didn't actually have a food truck by the park in mind, especially one that looked like it has violated all kinds of health codes provided in the law. But sure enough, the one where Rei bought their burgers was the one that attracted the most customers, and boy, did that burger smell really mouthwatering to the point that she didn't care if it was cooked in an infested kitchen. It tasted as good as it smelled, and she remembered that the best burger places in the U.S. came from the sketchiest hole-in-the-walls and food trucks.

"You like?" Rei wiped the ketchup off his lips with a tissue after he took his first big bite. They were sitting in one of the park's picnic tables, across from each other.

There weren't a lot of people left in the park. There were some who were riding skateboards and bikes, practicing tricks and exhibitions on railings and park benches, among others. On the grass lay friends or couples over blankets as they watched the night sky. And there were a few more like them, taking some late dinner or an evening snack with food truck's best.

She nods as she swallows, and then she takes a sip from her large soda. "It's really good! I forgot the last time I ate a burger this delicious."

"Thought you would." He takes another bite, and he hides how amused he is feeling at the moment with the way she was eating the burger that was of a size larger than his fist with her small mouth and delicate fingers. "This is comfort food for the overworked and underpaid."

She laughs, and a smile grows on his lips. "Actually," she began while wiping her mouth with tissue, "I felt a little apprehensive when I saw that we were eating from the food truck."

"Ah," he says, charmed. "I thought I saw disgust in your face earlier."

She blushes as she frowns. "It wasn't disgust! I was just—"

But he laughs off her defensive response. "I'm not judging, Aya." She puffs her cheeks when he cuts her off. "I guess it was normal for you to react that way when doctors always feel the need to be clean and disinfected."

"It's not like that!" She says this a little louder and leans in, and he raises the hand that wasn't holding the burger up in surrender. "I ate in food trucks too, you know, back in the States."

"You had this this-place-is-so-ratchet look when I was lining up to buy our food."

"I did not. And the truck does look ratchet."

"So you do admit, you were disgusted."

"No. I was apprehensive. There's a difference." She puffed her chest, taking a stand, even though in her head, she thinks she was totally not making a good argument for herself.

"Okay." Was all he said, but his amusement pasted on his face, and she resumed eating, refusing to look at his smug face.

Surprisingly, Aya was having a very pleasant time, and the concerns she had earlier that night was practically forgotten. It was one topic of conversation after another, from her busy work, to the surgeries she had participated in to the one she wished she got to participate in, to the project he was heading at the moment, to first building he built. Suddenly, it was like there wasn't a past between them, and everything felt fresh and breathing was easy.

"There's this big operation coming up that's going to be performed by one of the attendings at the hospital, it's kind of badass." She blushes at the term she uses while she picks at her uneaten fries mindlessly with her plastic knife. "This doctor is the only one who was willing to perform the surgery on the patient, that's how risky it is."

It's probably because of the way her eyes lit up when she's talking about a very complicated, difficult and risky surgery that is possibly the only way to save this patient that makes him breathless, though he shows none of this on his physical appearance. He doesn't say a word, staying still with his chin propped on a closed fist, afraid that it would break the spell.

"It's even going to be held in Switzerland, where the patient is, because he can't be transported anywhere anymore. The doctor is going there 2 weeks in advance to prepare and run tests on the patient himself to see if he needs to revise his plan of action." She sighs happily. "He's going to bring two residents and an intern with him."

"You're hoping that intern is going to be you?" She blushes because he's read her so well.

"Well he's performing a rare cardio surgery, the field I want to specialize in, so, of course I want to be the intern that gets to go with him!"

His lips curve up at her honesty. "Then go for it."

She sighs again, this time thoughtfully. "Well, the competition is steep. I've been in his service the past couple of weeks but there are a lot of interns putting their best foot forward to impress him."

"Then go impress him too." He was blunt.

She frowns. "It's not as simple as you make it you know."

"Well, the answers to your problem are simple," he says as a matter-of-factly, leaning toward her. "The difficult part is actually doing it."

"That's what I meant."

He drops his shoulders and leans back, craning his neck to examine the expression on her face. "You're already working hard as it is, what's having a goal to put your hard work into something?"

Aya leans forward, placing her cheek on an open palm. "Is this supposed to be your best attempt at encouragement?"

He shrugs, and then a grin slowly forms on his mouth. "Take it whatever way you like. If you're encouraged to get that opportunity, then even better."

She bursts into a small chuckle and she accepts his encouragement. It wasn't long until they leave and he brings her home, both of them having work the following day. He arrives at her apartment without difficulty, and the car ride was much more silent than their dinner. She was about to say her thanks and her goodbye, but he goes down the car first, she follows, and they walk to the gate of her apartment complex, all the tension from when the night started slowly building up in the pit of her stomach as the silence remains unbroken.

Aya speaks first. "Well, um— thanks, for tonight. I had… fun." She stammers a little.

But he only examines her, and as his warm brown eyes scan, her eyes divert elsewhere as another blush creeps up her cheeks.

"Well, I'll be going inside no—"

"I'm glad you enjoyed," he finally says, and she looks up and finds that those warm brown ones are still locked on her. What was even warmer was the smile that was on his face, his lips…

Mesmerized, she hardly registers that he leans in, slowly, in what almost felt like forever, until he was so near she could hear him breathe, and she swears he could her heart beating loud and fast. The chocolate sea that was his eyes was drowning her, and suddenly the air was heavy.

She blinks and realizes his lips were so close to touch, and on instinct she turns her head, and he stops all too suddenly, as if realizing, too, what she had just realized. He moves back.

"Sorry," he says first.

Her face was dangerously flushed, and she wasn't sure if it was because of that almost-kiss or because she turned away therefore the almost. Maybe it was because of both.

"I-it's fine," she says, a little breathless still.

It's probably because he noticed just how nervous she was that he places his hands on her shoulders and turns her to face him. "Look, I didn't mean to do that. I just… it just happened." He lets go of her. "I promise that I won't do anything like that until you let me."

And it was probably the sincerity of his voice that makes her heart skip a beat.

He grins, his signature one, likely because she was still out of words. "I guess I'll be going. Good night, Aya."

Her words were still stuck in her throat when he turns around, slowly making his way to his car. And at that moment, as she watches his back moving away, further away from her, that it hits her, and she realizes her biggest fear. She grips at her elbows tightly as if a cold air had just passed by, only that she felt her chest constrict a little. All those feelings of giddiness and butterflies were suddenly drained by a different sensation altogether.

**End of Chapter**


	17. Chapter 17

_Hello again! Well, look at this. We're nearing the end, and I hope that so far you're still enjoying the story. Thanks again to those who left their reviews. A lot of characters get hurt in this chapter, unfortunately, but all for the best! So here it is!_

**Chapter 17: Ghosts**

The last time he'd been there he had probably been a close second to the worst day of his life.

Her apartment had not drastically changed apart from a new curtain, a different television set, and the old orange sofa she bought from a flea market he sale that he really was moved to a different corner of the room. But the rest was still the same, the cream carpet still had the coffee stain he spilled (which made her really furious at the time), she still kept the blue vase with a chip on its mouth which she snuck out of her parents' house, and she left her things lying around the floor, clothes hung over the sofa and the kitchen counter, and a sink filled with unwashed kitchenware.

In a way it was somewhat nostalgic, and perhaps she sensed he felt the same by the way she waited until he breathed it all in.

"Sorry for the mess," Ran said as she gathered up random things in the way, trying to make her apartment a little more presentable for her unexpected guest.

Unexpected wouldn't be the half of it. She was surprised, sure, shocked because she'd never once thought he'd appear on her doorstep again, especially after the Engagement Party.

"It's fine," he says, smiling. "It's almost like how I remembered it."

She bites her lower lips when she hears his words, letting him wander inside and finding a place in her couch, then she wonders if there was ever a time he visited when she felt as though she wasn't at home in her own place. She brings in two glasses of water, one for him and the other for her, and she takes the empty space beside him on the couch.

"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time," he says.

She shakes her head. "I have a late shift for the rest of the week, so…" Her voice trails, unsure.

It's been a couple of weeks since his Big Announcement, and she's tried her best to keep her mind away from the whole thing. It doesn't help, she thinks, when he and his fiancée just puff into her life like she's number one on their speed dial. But she holds her tongue and remembers Miyu's words on how none of these were either of their faults, but a matter of really, really, _really_ bad timing.

"I'm sorry," he finally says.

"For what?"

"I know that my engagement took you by, um… surprise."

She freezes in her place, glass of water between her hands.

"We were just beginning to fix our friendship, and I thought we were okay, so I invited you because I wanted all my friends to be there, I didn't mean to—I mean, they told that you might have felt, or that—what I'm trying to say is that—"

"Tatsuki," she interrupts, voice a little cold. "I hope you don't mind but can we not talk about it, _please."_

He tries to get a look at her eyes, but she's turned away from him, her gaze anywhere but his. Unsure, he tries to extend a hand to her, but the stops halfway and takes it back.

"Ran," he calls out her name, softly. "I'm not trying to hurt you—"

At this point, her self-control betrays her when a tear escapes the corner of her eye, she's been biting back the tears since he brought up his engagement.

"I know." It was barely above a whisper, and her voice shaking, as if the air was being sucked from her lungs.

"And Suzura," he says, slowly, afraid the mention of her will set the former super gal off. "She's just trying to be friends with you, because you are my friend."

She clenches her fists, crumpling the lining of the denim shorts she was wearing.

"Just take it easy on her, Ran."

She looks at him, taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tatsuki maintains his calm demeanor, pausing and thinking before speaking. "I know that you guys met up sometime ago to go shopping. And I was really grateful that you guys were making an effort to get to know her, she really wants to fit in with you guys. But," he hesitates.

"But what?" Ran's voice a little louder than earlier, feeling aggrieved.

"She didn't tell me what you did, but I know she feels that you don't like her." He was straightforward, and she knows where he's getting at. "Look, I'm not attacking you or anything—"

"Oh, but you are," she accuses as she slides away from him. She feels her chest constrict and the water works about to pour.

"No, Ran, I'm not. I just—"

"Want me to befriend Suzura? To help her pick out clothes? To tell her that her make-up looks amazing? To let her confide in me?" She couldn't stop herself, her emotions flowing out of her faster than she could actually process whatever came out of her mouth. "What do you want me to do, Tatsukichi? Do you actually expect me to become your fiancée's best friend? What? Is she doing to ask me to be her bridesmaid too, at your _wedding_—"

"Okay! Stop it!" He roars, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

The tears she had been holding back had finally let themselves fall, and her breathing was shallow. He leans in closer and there was a tug at his heart seeing this woman crumble in front of him, and a part of him (he isn't too sure just how big) just wants to pull her close and let her stay there until she stops crying.

He swallows. "I can see that you're hurt, but you can't take it out on—"

He doesn't see it coming, and it was one, two, five seconds before he registers that she's kissing him. And the feel was familiar, and warm. He finds himself being pulled in and he parts his lips just a little just before he is able to gather his thoughts. Pulling himself away from her, he finds her eyes wanting.

"What are you doing?" He tries to catch his breath.

Scared he'll pull away, she grabs him by his wrists, her eyes crying and pleading. "I want you back, Tatsukichi!"

Rattled, he pries his hands from her grip and stands up backing away from her. "Ran, stop."

"No, I have to say it." Her voice was determined, she didn't want to back down because she may not get another chance. "I love you. I've always loved you, and I still do. And I know I've hurt you so badly—"

"You left me!" He was now pacing up and down her living room.

"And I'm sorry. I'm so, so, _so,_ sorry." Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed.

"You can't just say you want me back and expect me to drop everything I have now and—"

"I know. I know," she says that last part weakly, tired even.

"I'm marrying Suzura." His voice wasn't mean, it was just stating a fact, to make her understand. "We had our chance, Ran."

He moves closer to her, kneeling, he takes her in his arms and lets her bury her face in his chest. He couldn't help it, he never liked seeing her crying the way she did. It wasn't until she calmed down that he pulled himself away from her just a little so that he can take a look at her. Cupping her face with his hands, he traces her cheekbones with his thumb, wiping the tears along in the process.

Golden meets golden, and his heart freezes for a moment when he's looking at her, tugging at feelings that he had pushed deep down long ago.

"What if I want another chance?" Her voice was whispering but he could hear her clearly. "Please, Tatsukichi."

* * *

There was a beep from her phone and she takes a peek at the message, craning her neck a little making sure she doesn't move too obviously.

_**you're meeting must be boring for u to be texting me while working.**_

She wants to chuckle, but she suppresses herself for fear of being considered rude, or worse, accused of not paying attention.

They've been texting on a regular basis for a while now, and since their last date they've gone out a total of four more times since then. And he's been sweet (or at least his version of sweet) and they've been having a good time, she knows, without feeling pressured of determining what their relationship is, what it will be, and what it all means. However, she also knows that the way it is now is not going to last long, and he's going to ask. He'll ask her for a decision.

It's not like she hasn't thought about it. She has, actually, over and over again since he came declaring he was going to win her back, and she has never once arrived at a definitive conclusion. It's just that the idea of going down that road again, it just seems painful before it even begins, and she doesn't think she's ready to take the plunge. She just needs something _more._

"So that's how we're going to attack that tumor." And it was the voice of the attending that brings her back from her thoughts. "I know it's risky, but this is the best shot our patient has so let's do our best."

"Yes, doctor!" the team says in unison.

"Hoshino," calls the attending. Startled, Aya sits up straight. "Go and help Kobayakawa in prepping the patient for surgery."

"Yes, doctor."

They walk the halls of the third floor of the patients' ward, Aya staggering behind Shin's long strides.

Over the past couple of weeks, she had regularly eaten lunch with the resident doctor, and a couple of early breakfasts as well, and each time he makes known his intentions to date her even though he knows that she's been out on a couple of dates with Rei. He doesn't mind, he'd tell her, since she hasn't made up her mind about getting back together with her ex-boyfriend yet.

He pauses in his steps, and turns around. She might have bumped into him if she wasn't paying attention to him walking, and when she looks at him, he's grinning a goofy grin that wasn't that hard to find lovable.

"So," he says. The halls of the ward were practically empty, just a nurse or two passing by. "Have you decided if you're coming to Switzerland or not?"

The question took her by surprise, but really, she should have seen it coming.

Two days ago, he had told her that he was going to accompany Dr. Hasegawa, the cardio surgeon performing the very rare surgery in Switzerland next week. She was also informed that she was the intern that Dr. Hasegawa handpicked to come with them to Switzerland, should she agree to do so. She didn't give him a direct answer then, not because she didn't want to, she really wants to go, but it was because of the next words that came out of his mouth then.

"I know what I told you probably has you on the fence," he says, seeing the worry written on her face. "And I don't want you not take this opportunity because of it."

"No, it's not because of that." Her face turned into a tomato as the conversation they had came rushing back to memory.

He chuckled. "You're still not very good at lying."

"Um," was all she managed to say.

He exhales deeply, letting his shoulders fall and he lets himself lean against the wall on his side. He smiles at her, and she feels a little calmer. "Look," he began, "I meant what I said. When we get to Switzerland, after the surgery, on our free time, I want to take you out to a good dinner, have a nice conversation and let ourselves have fun. And there, I hope that you can tell me if you plan to take _this_—what we have between us—any further."

He checks her reaction to see if he's scared her away, but her eyes are understanding, telling him that she has given it some thought, so he continues. "And if you don't it's okay. I'll accept it like a man. But you know, I might have to stop hanging around you all the time."

She bites her lower lip.

"It's not like I don't see that you've been happy around him too." His smile doesn't falter, and she catches herself wondering what he was thinking, but she really can't read him. "But I'd really like it if you would choose me."

Her heart skips a beat. He pushes himself against the wall and he puts his hands in his pockets as he leans forward, closing the distance between him and Aya. She blushes at the closeness, and when he's close enough he presses her pert nose with his index finger, teasing her. She blinks in surprise and by now her cheeks were beet red.

"So go to Switzerland." His tone was definite as it was kind.

With her tongue and her feet stuck and heavy in their place, he turns around, but not without first giving her a reassuring smile, and starts walking again as he makes way to the patients room, not waiting for her to process their conversation.

* * *

They reached an empty park bench and decided to call a break. A couple of weeks ago, Yamato was surprised to receive a message from Rei and Yuuya, informing him that they are going to join him in his morning jog despite their previous declaration of never ever doing so again. A couple of weeks joining Yamato (and Tatsuki whenever he showed up) and the two were naturally getting back into shape, almost fully able to keep up with the fit policeman.

"I'll go get us some water," Yuuya said in staggered breaths before making his way to his car that was parked near by.

Coming back carrying three bottles of water from the car, Yuuya tossed each one of his companions a bottle before almost downing the whole bottle from the thirst he accumulated in that hour of jogging around the park.

"Tatsuki didn't show up again," he stated, closing the bottle of water. "I haven't seen or heard from his this whole week."

Wiping his sweat with his small towel, Yamato took a seat on the bench, stretching out his legs by reaching out for his toes. "Yeah, me too." He pulled himself back and stood up, stretching his legs some more by pulling one to his chest and holding it there in place. "Come to think of it, I remember Miyu saying something about not being able to contact Ran for a while now."

Rei and Yuuya started copying Yamato's actions, a routine they've been following on Yamato's orders as a method of cooling their muscles down, although much less graceful than the older Kotobuki, their bodies proving to be a lot less flexible from the lack of practice.

"I heard he talked to Ran sometime a week ago." Rei's voice was a little strained, having a little difficulty reaching his toes, or even just nearly reaching them.

The other men looked up, their faces curious. "He did? Why? Miyu didn't tell me anything about that."

Rei shrugged moving on to the next stretching position. "He never called back to tell me what happened."

"You never called him to ask?"

The engineer shook his head, ignoring the disbelief that came with the question.

"He was too busy texting Aya and taking her out," grinned Yuuya who was folding his leg backward as his hands reached out from behind to pull his foot. Rei had half a mind to trip his best friend while he was on one foot, but the blonde was far from his immediate reach that he thought it was not worth the effort.

A whistle sound was made in an attempt to tease Rei who kept his face expressionless, casually trying to stretch his legs. "Ah, right, the whole winning-her-back thing," Yamato smirked. In a way he was proud of the brown-haired man for finally making a move, _took him a long time_. "So," he says in a suggestive tone, which makes Rei cringe. "How's that working out?"

Trying to ignore the question, he ends his stretching by grabbing the water bottle he left on the bench and drinking it all down.

"She hasn't agreed to get back together, if that's what you want to know." Yuuya answered for his best friend, and the latter glares at him. "Well, she hasn't"

"But I heard from Miyu that the doctor in her hospital also takes her out from time to time," said Yamato.

"Oho." Yuuya tries to bite the fist he brings to his mouth waiting for his friend's reaction.

But Rei knows that already, she has been completely honest with that. He has always felt that he never had the right to stop her from doing what she wants, even if that's going out with another man, especially since they're not even together. Much as it does bother him, it really does, he tries not to show it, not to his friends and most especially not to her.

"She's free to date whoever she wants," is his answer, and it's true.

"So you don't mind her going out with Shin?" Yuuya probes his friend, and Rei knows that Yuuya's just trying to make him break just like he's been trying to do so on the matter the past couple of days.

He tried not to make a face. "If that's what she wants."

"Liar." Yuuya calls him out.

"So I guess it's okay that she's going to Switzerland with him?" says Yamato, in a tone completely free of malice.

He stared at Yamato blankly. "She is?"

If his voice sounded strange then his friends were kind enough to at least ignore it.

Yamato nods. "That's what I heard. I mean, she came over for dinner the other night telling us all about it, that big operation she's wanted in on since she knew it was open for interns. That she's leaving this weekend for two weeks and that one of the residents on the team is Shin. She seems really excited about it too spending the whole day yesterday fixing her papers. Didn't you know?"

Recovering quickly, he nods. "Yeah—No, I do know."

But he didn't know.

"We just haven't met for me to congratulate her."

"Oh, tell her my congratulations too," chimed Yuuya merrily. Rei nods his direction, and he watches Yuuya's grin turn to a smile. "I'm really glad things are working out for you two."

"Hn," Rei says, but then his thoughts had already moved from Aya to Yuuya's current state.

Compared to the first two weeks since Mami has returned, Yuuya had improved quite well, much faster than when Mami left. He told them that they haven't talked, not since that one time he took one of her calls. She was asking—begging—him to let her explain, to please understand the circumstances, to forgive her. But all he asked was to give him his space, just as she wanted hers a couple of months ago. He told her that it shouldn't be much to ask since she even went as far as going abroad to get her space, then she should understand that he needs his too. And she agreed, although she was clearly fearful of what could happen if she does, because it was the fair thing to do.

"And you?"

Yuuya cranes his neck as he looks up to Rei from where he sat on the park bench. It doesn't take him long to understand, so he just smiles.

"You know what I don't understand?" The men look at him waiting for him to answer his rhetoric. "Why do we keep talking about our relationship problems?" He laughs, he's the only one to laugh. "What happened to talking about sports, news, the weather? When did we stop talking about women objectively, you know the kind of conversations we keep in the locker room? When did we turn out to be sappy fools?"

The comical way he speaks makes the other too chuckle as they give it some thought.

"Seriously, guys! When did we stop keeping our love lives to ourselves, you know?"

"You know, I've actually considered that question before," says Rei, taking his seat by the grass in front of the bench.

Staring out at the lake at the center of the park, the pause momentarily, and in the silence they think.

"It was probably around the time we started getting our hearts broken for the first time." Yamato takes the empty space beside him.

"Or the time those women became a headache rather than a pleasure," figures Rei.

"Or was it the time weddings stopped pulling through," Yuuya says jokingly, and the other guys laugh along until the silence hits them once again. "But maybe it was around the time we realized that if they left you, you don't think you'd be able to breathe anymore, like you'll drown in some kind of pain you never knew existed, and just wishing on anything that it would never happen."

They don't affirm him, but neither do they deny for they knew that there was some truth to that, each of them having some experience in that area at some point in their lives

"Every day's the same old battle," he says. "I miss her, then I don't want to see her. I love her, then I'm furious at her. It's this whole back and forth, but at the end of the day, I find myself not so far away from where I was at the start of the it."

They don't react to his confession.

Opening his water bottle, he gulps down whatever was left inside it. "I feel so tired sometimes, you know? Just trying is tiring… Isn't that scary?"

It takes a while for them to form a response to what Yuuya had just said, understanding the predicament that he's in. And he's heard enough of the _you just need to time for you to heal, _the _if you're meant to be, she'll be there at the end waiting for you, _or the _it'll all work out at the end_ prep talk.

"It's shouldn't be that hard," says Yamato. They glance at him waiting for him to explain. "Love shouldn't be that hard. Look, Yuuya—" he turns to face Yuyya, "Just think about what you said earlier, and ask yourself, honestly—and I mean, honestly answer yourself—do you think you can live without Mami in your life? Can you imagine a future without her?"

Yuuya stares at him, but he then looks down to his hands. "You know that's not easy."

"Yes it is, it should be. The answer should be the first thing that comes into your mind, regardless of the considerations," Yamato says. "And only from there can you really work out on either forgiving her and making it work, and forgiving her and moving on."

"It's always easier said than done, Yamato."

"That's the excuse you use when you don't want to face the truth you already know." Yamato turns from him and lets his back slouch on the bench. "You already know what you want, Yuuya. It's about time you face it."

"Like Rei?" Yuuya grins mischievously, managing to joke in spite of the serious tone of direction the conversation had turned to.

But the chocolate-haired man snickers as he takes it in jest. "Yeah. Exemplify me."

"You haven't gotten the woman yet, buddy," Yuuya jokes.

"Ouch." Rei feigns offense. "Well, I'm chasing after the woman I want, while you, on the other hand, is pushing her away. So which one of us is smarter?"

Finding Rei's willingness to joke around a rarity and overall amusing, Yuuya chuckles. "I think we're both on the losing end, my friend."

"Ah, stop turning this into a pity party," says Yamato.

"If it were one, you wouldn't be able to join," says Rei frankly. "You're married."

"I don't know, Rei," Yuuya protested at once. "He may just be the biggest loser here."

And they all laugh, unaware that they haven't laughed together like this in a long time.

* * *

About to make her way to her favorite café, she tucked her scarf around her small neck and pulled her thick coat together, bracing herself for the cold night's wind that she was going to face on the way over there. Once she entered the aromatic confines of the hospitable establishment, she took off her scarf and her coat and let them hang over her arm as she searched the café for a certain chocolate-haired man.

She received a text message from him, asking her if they could meet up for coffee. She, of course, said yes with the intention of telling him about Switzerland, and, if she gathers the courage to do so, about Shin as well.

Spotting the engineer in a booth (it wasn't that difficult, there weren't a lot of people anymore in the café at the time), she made her move toward him, and the closer she got, the clearer it was that he was in deep thought, the kind where you know he's probably not paying attention to anything else around him. It was an expression that he wore often, more so when they were younger. She remembered feeling really ignored whenever he'd be like that, but as time went by, it was something she had learned to love about him.

He looked really pensive. He looked just as beautiful.

So she stood there for a couple of seconds longer, just staring at him staring at no particular thing, and having that all too familiar feeling that they've done this all before many moons ago. Her confidence waning, she took a step forward, and another, making her presence known to him.

"Hey there," she greets, taking her place on the other side of the booth. She slides in after placing her bag, along with her coat and scarf, on the deeper end of the booth. Noticing the pre-ordered food, her favorite, already there, she thanks him.

"I didn't know what you were in the mood for tonight, so I just ordered your favorite," he says. "If you prefer something else, I can get the—"

She shakes her head immediately. "No, it's okay. This is fine."

She pokes at a shred of tuna and takes a bite before lazily mixing the pesto sauce with the pasta.

"Long day?" He notices the bags under her eyes and the almost lethargic way she twirls the pasta on her fork, but not really taking a bite.

Blushing at how he could tell so easily, she nods. "Very." But she doesn't elaborate. "Yours?"

"Probably nothing like yours." He smiled, and it was gentle. He has the side of his face propped on an open palm, his elbow on the table for support, looking at her with gentle, knowing eyes. "Just some office work today."

"Actually," she clarifies. "I've had so many meetings today, and I had to go over so many documents and patient files, and then going over them again and again. I barely saw the walls of an operating room. It was exhausting."

"What for?"

Then she realizes that he hasn't actually told him the news yet. She coughs, clearing her throat. "I haven't told you but," she pauses, biting her lower lip as if she has done something wrong. "I get to go and be part of Dr. Hasegawa's team performing an operation in Switzerland." But as the words came out of her mouth, she begins to feel a little more excited and a lot less guilty.

Rei smiles, and it melts her a little. "I heard," he says, and it catches Aya off guard. "That's really great, Aya. You've really worked hard for this."

"You heard?" Each word came out slowly, carefully.

He nods. "Yamato told me about it the other day," he explains. "I'm really not sure how to feel about you only telling me this now."

He teases, and she feels bad. She knows she's waited a while to tell him the news, and if he found out from Yamato he's probably already figured out why too, she posits.

"I'm kidding," he says when she doesn't say anything. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." Her voice was soft. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"It's fine," he reassures her. "But can I ask why?"

And it was the question she knew would come up at one point tonight, one way or another. He wasn't demanding an explanation, and he wasn't mad—he was always pragmatic when it came to his feelings, she knew that.

She smiles weakly, apologetically, fidgeting on a piece of napkin, scrunching it up with one hand and then flattening it again like a nervous habit. She wasn't all that sure her reasons made that much sense, even to her.

"I just needed more time," she finally says.

"More time for?"

"Thinking? I suppose." She takes his silence and raised eyebrows as a sign to elaborate. "I guess at first I thought it was a simple decision, you know? Go to Switzerland and be a part of medical history. But," she pauses again. "There were more things to consider than just my career apparently, and for a while I just needed more time to consider some things."

"Like going with him to Switzerland?" His tone remained unchanged, and so did his expression. He allows himself to lean his back against the booth, slouching a little.

"Among other things." She'd crumpled the napkin enough to cause creases and making it look overused.

He's got a funny look on his face, the one that tells her he wants to say something but that his words are caught in his throat. So she continues, saying everything she has to say before she has a chance to back out.

"After we come back from Switzerland, he wants us start officially dating." Something changes in his expression, and she could see him clench his fists, the knuckles turning white. "I guess what I mean is, he wants me to give him an answer there."

She studies his expression carefully and he's sure to be careful about his.

"And have you," he says, his voice a little more strained than he'd like. "Have you got an answer for him?"

She solemnly shakes her head.

"Have you got an answer for me?"

"Won't you stop me from going?" She returns the question to him and there's a prickling in her eyes that she tries to ignore locking her gaze into his, telling him a secret in her eyes that she doesn't know if he can read.

"If there's a chance that I might say yes to him, won't you stop me?"

"Aya…" His voice is soft.

"I just want to know—I'm not asking you to stop me, I just…" Her voice trails, unable to finish her sentence or at least coherently form it.

He takes a moment to answer, contemplating, weighing, and already she knows what he's going to say, she's heard it all before.

"I'm not going to stop you, Aya, not from something that will make you become better."

And her heart freezes for a moment—that frame where you already see it coming and yet still can't believe it happened—and it weighs just a little bit heavier and it makes her just a little bit sadder. He notices the change in her expression, the way her eyes flinch, how her fingers grasp the napkin, and how she bites her lower lip a bit longer than usual.

"Aya," he says, his voice painted with an emotion she can't identify. "This isn't because I'm not fighting for you, but because I don't want to be the person who holds you back from being the best version of you that you can be, even if it means I might lose you to someone else. I'll always want you to chase your dreams."

She closes her eyes as she takes in his words, biting back the tears that threaten to fall. _It's like it's happening all over again_. She didn't even know what she wanted from him when she came to meet him tonight, so why does it still hurt? Why is she still disappointed, she asks herself.

"I don't regret it, Aya." But she still refuses to open her eyes. "I don't regret not asking you to stay four years ago because you came back to be a great and promising doctor." She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand before any tears can fall, and seeing her like this makes him want to jump by her side and hold her close, but he stays put. "The only thing I regret is not waiting for you and fighting for you the way I should have, the way you deserve."

She opens her eyes, orbs forming on the edges. She musters her strength to give him a small but painful smile. "I know" Her voice barely above a whisper. "Me too."

They sit in silence for a while longer just staring into each other's eyes, dark onyx ones into dark brown ones.

"I'm going to wait for you this time, Aya."

She sucks in her breath and exhales deeply. "I can't promise I'll come back to you this time, Rei."

"I know."

* * *

He types away at his phone, clicking the letters and forming the message he's been wanting to send for a while now, knowing he'll erase it again and not send it at all. He does, and he's about to throw his phone to the wall until he remembers that he hasn't fully paid for it yet, so instead, he throws it against the pillow before letting himself fall on the plump bed.

_Ask yourself, honestly—and I mean, honestly answer yourself—do you think you can live without Mami in your life? Can you imagine a future without her?_

The words of Yamato from a couple of days ago rings in his head, continuously, haunting him and messing his head until he's left utterly confused.

Of course he loves her, that much he has never tried to deny. He just wonders if everything that they went through the last three months is telling them that maybe they're not strong enough for this—this relationship that they always thought was stronger than steel. Because if they were strong, mature and secure enough in their relationship then maybe he would've have told her the moment he knew about his condition, maybe she wouldn't have ran away and faced their problems together, maybe she wouldn't have kissed someone else in her moment of weakness, and maybe they'd be together right now.

But the thought of not having her in his life was just as painful because it was a life he had never imagined he would have from the day that he realized he was in love with her.

So this push-pull thing he has going on in his head is driving him to the brink of sanity, and there is this ringing on the back of his that just adds to the headache.

Then he realizes that the ringing is coming from the doorbell of his apartment. He groans, wondering who would be annoying enough to bother him at this moment of his life. Then again, he thinks maybe he should thank the person for giving him a break from his thoughts.

That is until he opens the door, revealing a brunette waiting on the other side for him to answer.

She was dressed down that she would typically be, given her personality, only clad in jeans and a white tee. Her hair tied in a loose ponytail, some strands were unkempt falling in front of her face that was pale and without make-up. Despite all that, he thinks she's still the most beautiful thing.

But her appearance at his doorstep takes him by surprise, and whether it was a pleasant one or not he has yet to determine. So she's the one who breaks the silence.

"Yuuya." Her voice was soft, and careful, afraid that anything could trigger his anger.

He doesn't respond. Instead he moves to his side, making way for her to enter his apartment. She makes her way to his living room, sitting in the couch where they used to stay up all night long watching movies he's rented out from the video store. He takes his place on the other end of the couch

"I know you asked for your space right now," she starts again, clasping her hands together in an effort to stay collected. "And I know you deserve that space, and I do want to give that to you, I really do."

He still doesn't talk. But his face was not cold nor was it angry like she thought it would, but rather it's contemplative and conflicted.

"But the longer I give you space, the more I feel like you're drifting away from me," she says, her voice breaking. She sniffs before she continues. "Each day that passes makes me feel like I'm closer to losing you completely."

"Mami, I—"

But she stops him from interrupting, putting her hand up. "No, please, let me say what I have to say." So he lets her. "I know I've made a big mistake, and it hurt you, a lot. We've hurt each other a lot in the last couple of months, but even then, Yuuya—" she wipes the tears that threaten to fall with the balls of her palms. "I love you. I love you so much that sometimes I surprise myself in that I'm able to love someone this much—the selfish person that I am. And I learned, during that time I was away, that I don't know how I can ever let you go, because just the thought of letting you go—it makes it so hard for to breathe, Yuuya."

She continues to wipe her eyes, as if scratching them, which makes him think that she's only irritating them some more. Sliding down the couch to move closer to where she is, he takes hold of her wrists, making her stop her movements, and places them on her lap.

This causes her to open her eyes and finds him staring at her hazel orbs, his expression soft but unreadable. When she has calmed down, she lets go of her wrist and suddenly there's an empty feeling on his fingertips from where he's just touched her skin.

"Mami, you don't have to—"

She shakes her head vigorously as if doing so would shoo his words away.

"Yuuya, I don't think I can let you go," she says again, and this time it's her turn to grasp his hands, and he winces a bit in surprise. "But," and her voice cracks as if the next words will be the hardest thing she'll ever have to say. "I don't know how long we can stay _this_ way anymore, Yuuya." She pauses, taking her time, and the tight grip she has on his hands tells him to wait for her. "Do we still have a chance? Do you still love me—"

"You know I do, Mami." He feels the need to clear that up.

"So then how? How do we fix this? How can we make it work? Because all I know is I love you, and I'm sorry, so please tell me already—"

But he doesn't let her finish this time, releasing his hands from her grip and taking hold of her face as he pulls her near, pressing his lips into hers. Suddenly the night never felt more alive.

**End of Chapter**

To otaconinah (and to whoever else is interested), I've kind of started writing this new AU fic for Gals and hopefully, (maybe, if I'm satisfied with it) I can upload it within the week. If not, then when I finish WBH. Well, I guess what I could say for now is it still covers the characters' adult lives, just not canon to the manga/anime.

Thanks for reading! Tell me your thoughts!


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